


Until the 24th

by AkazuIzuya, Dark_Cherise



Series: One Piece x readers [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Every day a new chapter, Fluff, Former Slave, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Massages, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shyness, Teasing, Temporary Amnesia, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, all x Readers, christmas 2017, snark and sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-09 03:34:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 48,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12879318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkazuIzuya/pseuds/AkazuIzuya, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Cherise/pseuds/Dark_Cherise
Summary: Every day a different One Piece character will have the pleasure to celebrate christmas with you~Day One ~ MarcoDay Two ~ KiddDay Three ~ CrocodileDay Four ~ CorazonDay Five ~ ThatchDay Six ~ AceDay Seven ~ CorbyDay Eight ~ HarutaDay Nine ~ SmokerDay Ten ~ KuzanDay Eleven ~ LucciDay Twelve ~ SaboDay Thirteen ~ BartolomeoDay Fourteen ~ ZoroDay Fifteen ~ DoflamingoDay Sixteen ~ KillerDay Seventeen ~ BenDay Eighteen ~ SanjiDay Nineteen ~ FujitoraDay Twenty ~ LuffyDay Twenty-One ~ MihawkDay Twenty-Two ~ ShanksDay Twenty-Three ~ Penguin and ShachiDay Twenty-Four ~ Trafalgar D Water Law





	1. Day One ~ Marco

" I don't even know how to give the present to him... what if... I mean, what if he won't accept it!?" you whined, nervous as you looked out of the window into the dark streets. The snow was falling relentlessly, and the floor, the roofs, the gardens and even most ships docking at the harbour were already buried beneath a thick blanket of pure white snow.

" Why shouldn't he? You're young and beautiful, and kind. And you've got the hots for him. No way any man would refuse your present. " your best friend simply sighed. You frowned. " I'm not so sure about this... I mean, there's a pretty huge age gap between us... and anyways, he's never shown any real interest in girls... or me, for that matter...."

" Well, you aren't very offensive when it comes to love. You just throw glances his way every year when they dock here."

" Yeah, because he's handsome... and he can fly! And he's the second in command! I don't have a chance..." suddenly bummed, you lowered your head, looking gloomy at the present resting on the table. 

" He's a pirate."

" Yeah, he's out of my league...." you sighed.

" That's not what I- (y/n) ? Are you even listening?"

" You're right.. I should just give up on him. I can't even fight. I'd be useless on a pirate ship...." you kept mumbling to yourself, and turned around to go and cry into your pillow. 

You friend watched you leave, until he hit his head against the wall repeatedly. 

" I can't believe I'm going to do this..." he growled, picked up his winter coat, and left your home, taking the keys with him and - after pondering about it for a minute, your present also.

*

When Jayce came looking for you at Christmas day, he found you sobbing at the kitchen table. As soon as he had closed the door behind him, you rushed towards him.

" Jayce! Oh Jayce! My present! It disappeared! What should I do?!" You asked, throwing yourself at his chest. He grimaced, patting your back awkwardly.

After you had calmed down a bit, he set you down at the kitchen table and gave you a glass of water. 

" I have an idea what to do about the gift. Do you trust me?"

" You never gave me any reason to distrust you." you nodded. 

He smiled, and you continued to stare down on your hands, so you missed the sadness in his eyes. He sighed heavily, before watching you. It didn't take long until your eyes closed, your fingers fell lax and he caught you before you fell from the chair. He stroked a strand of stray hair behind your ear, before picking you up bridal style. 

" And this is the reason I fucking hate girls." he murmured lowly, taking you to your room, and started with his plans.

*

" Well well~ Don't you think she will be mad, yoi?" Marco asked, amused as he landed on the railing of the balcony, wings still spread, talons giving him hold. 

" I, at least, believe it's not right to drug your best friend and... well, hand her over to pirates, yoi." he chuckled. Jayce clicked his tongue, looking at the phoenix in front of him. In his arms he held your motionless form, clad in an innocent white dress, and a huge red ribbon around your waist. 

" Don't tell me you're going to back out, Marco." he grimaced. " You wanted her, I brought her. She wanted you, too. But this girl is too stubborn to leave me behind and follow her dreams. "

" She won't leave you, yoi? What did you do, Jayce. Last time I saw you, you had still been in chains, and now, years after, I find you with the woman I've wanted for years, and you're playing her bodyguard yoi?"

" She took me in when I had no one, saved me from the marines and trusted me. No matter how often I attempted to kill her. She's a _saint_ , Marco. If you even so much as put a scratch on her, I'm gonna follow you and kill you. There's a reason behind me having been to the sixth level of Impel Down. And you do realize both of us will end up in hell."

Marco chuckled, a sound between chirping and deep rumbling.

" Oh, don't worry. I'll worship her, alright. Pops wanted a daughter anyways, yoi. Besides... I really like her. I'll protect her. For both of us, yoi."

" You better keep your word. " Jayce said. Suddenly, there was ruckus down on the entrance. He smiled sadly.

" Go. Take her with you. They would also imprison her, if they found out she hid me." he laid you down on the floor, curling a blanket around you he had already prepared before.

Marco threw the man one last look, before he worked his wings, took the blanket with his talons, and left for the Moby Dick.

Jayce would do well without you he had to protect and care for - and Marco would gladly take over that job from now on.

*

When you came to, everything was dizzy. It took you a few minutes to realize you had slept at all, and you suddenly shot up as you remembered something very important: " Oh no! The present for Marco! What am I gonna do!?" you breathed, in panic once again.

Only then did you notice you weren't home.... apparently. 

" I.... wait, this is a dream, right...?" you whispered, eyes wide. Marco, sitting at the edge of the bed you laid in, smiling in obvious amusement. He slightly waved with the bottle of rum he held in his calloused hands. 

" Maybe, maybe not, yoi." he simply said. 

It stayed silent for a minute after that, and you looked at yourself. You wore a white dress. Nope, this had to be a dream. 

" Oooooooo-kay." you stretched the word out, getting a bit braver.

" So... If this is a dream - Will you stay with me.. for as long as I desire?" you questioned, cautiously. The blonde pirate grinned, taking a sip from the bottle.

" For as long as you want me, yoi. And.... say - if this isn't a dream, yoi?" 

" Then.... I don't know. How can this be NOT a dream. Last thing I know, I was crying, and Jayce calmed me down, brought me a glass of -" you stopped.

" Wait... WAIT. Did that bastard of best friend DRUG me???" you blinked as realization hit you. He chuckled.

" He did, yoi. And then he offered you to me, yoi. I gladly accept this present, though. I've had my eyes out for you for some time now."

" What..? Wait, for real?"

" Yes. You're calm, maybe a little shy. But kind, and you don't discriminate against pirates. Nor did you seem afraid of me, yoi. Every year when we land here you watched from far away. At some point I thought it would be... better to have you near me, yoi." he hummed.

You blinked, before a blush took over your features and you lowered your gaze.  
" I still can't quite believe this isn't a dream. I don't even know... I mean... What should I do on a ship? I can't fight. I'm... not a pirate."

" You don't need to fight." Marco smiled. " We're 1600 men on this ship - do you honestly believe every last one of us can fight? There's more to being a pirate than knowing how to fight, yoi." he took another sip from the bottle, eyes resting on your innocent form. " We have enough men to protect you. The guys like you. You've already interacted with a lot of them over the years, you know, yoi."

" I did?"

" You did." he nodded. " So stop looking so glum, yoi. It's christmas eve - and I have a present right here before me, yoi." he hummed. As a new blush entered your cheeks, he chuckled. 

" As far as I'm concerned, this is the best christmas I've had yet. I've gotten the perfect treasure. And, since I'm a pirate - I plan on keeping said treasure, yoi."

You smiled shyly at him. " Oh well.... I guess, this isn't nearly the worst christmas I've had yet.... As long as I'm not a burden... and as long as you want me, I'll stay. Please, be nice.." you said, insecure, but overall a little exited.

Marco chuckled and leaned in, giving your cheek a small kiss. " Oh, trust me: I'll be gentle." he promised, and laughed in delight as you squeaked, looking at him in surprise, wonder and embarrassment.

Half a minute later, you chuckled. " I guess, I have to learn to fight anyways. I need to kick someones ass if I meet him again. And then, give him a kiss." you smiled. Jayce deserved a kick and a kiss alike. As Marco grinned and chuckled, you leaned against his shoulder.

" So... merry christmas?"

" Merry Christmas, yoi."


	2. Day 2 ~ Eustass Kidd

Christmas. Such a great festivity – at least for families and those who could be around the people they liked or loved. For you, it simply existed. You had no family you could visit and honestly, on special days like Christmas, you went to pubs or casinos most of the time. As long as you had no important mission at least.   
You grumbled lightly, straightening your marine coat. This island you were visiting currently was a simple stop on your way back. They didn't send orders yet, so you were expecting that you should simply return to Headquarters.

Obviously, Christmas Eve was close, seeing all the festive decoration at the houses, lanterns and trees. There was no market, no snow, but you could tell that people on this island celebrated this festivity of love and friendship... The thought made you grimace slightly. Friends? Sure, you could handle most of the other members of the marine, but you wouldn't call them friends. You preferred being by yourself, that's why you often went on missions alone instead of taking subordinates with you.

You stopped when you could hear the ringing of your transponder snail. You sighed, answering the call with a calm: “Yeah, what is it?” You narrowed your eyes as you listened to Sengoku, leaning against a lantern.  
“So, you're telling me to take a break over Christmas Eve? Urg. Fine. When was it again...?”, you muttered, grimacing because of his disbelieving snort. He shouldn't act like that. He knew what kind of person you were. As long as you weren't facing certain pirates, you were a good marine. When facing certain pirates, you were an unconventional marine. A slight grin appeared on your lips, thinking about that fact. Maybe you were lucky and pirates you could mess with would appear here...?

“Hey! (y/n), did you hear me?!”, his annoyed voice made you flinch, sighing again.  
“Of course. It's tomorrow and I shall take a break before I return to Headquarters. Guess you'll see me two or three days after tomorrow.”, you hummed, ending the call without a warning and putting the snail back into your pocket.

~*~

You were such a lucky one! Walking through the streets towards the harbour was pretty unspectacular. However, arriving there and eyeing the ships that were already there as well as those close to the horizon made a grin appear on your lips. There was one jolly roger you knew perfectly well, having met and annoyed the captain of the crew a few times already. It was kinda surprising that he didn't kill you yet although you had fought many times.

You jumped on the roof of one of the houses around, sitting down there and watching the ship come closer. Somehow though, you didn't want to fight him today or tomorrow, but instead you could try something else. He was known for his cruelty, so you wanted to get the reason because of which he didn't kill you yet. He attacked civilians if they looked at him in the wrong way, not to mention what he did to other pirates – and yet you were still alive. He had defeated you so many times – sure, you had won a few times as well and never taken him into custody. It was fair – but fairness didn't mean too much for pirates, did it?

~*~

“Hey, Eustass!” The moment, the red-haired left his ship with his right-hand man Killer, you jumped from the roof. He had turned his head around, raising one of his non-existent eyebrows as he recognised you. He stopped, waiting for you to come closer.  
“You again? Wanna get beaten up again?”, he huffed, sounding provocative, making you grin lopsidedly.  
“Nah, not this time. I don't feel like fighting right now.”, you hummed, earning a huff.  
“Don't tell me you get all soft around Christmas?” His voice was disbelieving, almost mocking.  
Quickly, you shook your head, grimacing because of that thought. “Not the least, believe me. I can't stand Christmas. But how about a meeting tomorrow evening at Benny's Pub? Drinking alone is a bit lame, don't ya think? You can even bring your men if you're scared~” Now you sounded teasing, especially with your wide grin.  
“As if.”, he snorted, “I'll think about it. For now, we've got more important stuff to do.”, he added annoyed, turning away. Usually, you would've retorted something nasty now like You and thinking? or Sure, run away!, but this time, you simply chuckled. “Sure, sure. Whatever you think~”

Quite the best answer. It wasn't a yes, it wasn't a no. So, you had no clue whether he would appear tomorrow or not. Shouldn't bother you too much though, you were used to drinking alone. You knew your limit – after all, you didn't want to make mistakes and end up in bed with some idiots. Especially with pirates around. It would damage your reputation – but thinking about that... it couldn't get much worse. Sengoku knew you had no problems in letting pirates get away.

~*~

With a hum, you entered the pub, taking a quick look around. A few tables were filled, but not that much as usual. It didn't surprise you though, it was Christmas Eve after all. Normal people would celebrate with their family, but since you were an orphan, there was no family to visit. The marine had taken you under its wings a few years ago, there was nobody you could call mother or father. They had been your teachers and trainers, nothing more.

The waiter looked up as you went to the counter, seeming a bit surprised that a young woman was spending her night in such a bar. You didn't wear your marine uniform tonight, but a red tank-top and a black hot pants. Why not? It was a summer island, it was warm, you didn't need warm clothes. A summer island that celebrated Christmas wasn't uncommon – still, you could forgo it.  
“A rum please.”, you ordered, taking a seat and crossing your legs relaxed. You wouldn't go anywhere tonight, so why should anything bother you? It would be you and the rum. Just as easy as that.

You're glass was almost empty when the door of the pub was opened once again. At first, you didn't look up – at least until heavy steps were coming closer and stopping next to you. With a hum, you turned your head around, eyeing the red-haired male with surprise which soon turned into amusement.  
“You came alone, seriously?”, you hummed, tilting your head and pointing the pirate captain to take a seat. He huffed, a lopsided grin appearing on his lips as he sat down and ordered two more rum.  
“Sure. If you meant to fight me, I'd be able to defeat you with one finger.”, he replied, pretty full of himself, making you chuckle.  
“Of course you would. As if I never won against you...”, you hummed, a grin on your lips.  
“Che. It's easy to win if one party is weakened.”  
You rolled your eyes, emptying your glass and taking the next one. “Whatever. Cheers, Eustass.”, you grinned, clinking glasses with the pirate captain.  
“Cheers, (y/n) – and stop calling me Eustass. I hate that.”, he gave back with a huff. You blinked, tilting your head and taking a sip.

“You know, that's just more reason to call you Eustass instead of Kidd?”, you teasingly murmured, laughing because of the threatening look he gave you. “Keep cool. I don't want this pub to get destroyed because of a fight, Kidd.”, you chuckled.  
“You're such an annoying being...”, he sighed, emptying his glass. “What in the world made you invite me to booze?”, he added, eyes narrowed.  
You kept quiet for moment, humming lowly. “Although I'm so annoying, you didn't kill me yet~ I was pondering about that. But I've got no good answer to that. I wanted some company probably.”, you replied, shrugging your shoulders.

“Aw, does the lone wolf of the marine feel lonely at Christmas? You poor being.” You narrowed your eyebrows because of his sarcastic comment, staring at him furiously.  
“Oh, spare me from that.”, you growled, “I can't stand being pitied, especially for nonsense like that. Hey, waiter, another drink!”, you ordered, grabbing the glass as soon as he put it down, taking a long pull. Kidd grinned gleefully. He enjoyed annoying you – just as you enjoyed making him furious. “What did you expect with that answer of yours?”, he snorted, “You know what this looks like? A marine inviting a pirate to drink with her?”

His gaze. His grin. You growled furiously, standing up with a jerk. “Shut up, Eustass! I've got no fucking nerves for this bullshit!”  
The red-haired captain had gotten onto his feet as well, forcing you to look up at him. He couldn't stand orders – but he couldn't take you seriously right now. It was ways too funny.  
“Are you ordering me around right now, (y/n)?”, he wanted to know, his voice dark, almost seductive, stepping right in front of you. You could feel his body heat – and for a second, the anger you felt because of him changed into fascination... and more. You just hoped your face was already red because of the alcohol because thanks to certain thoughts, your face would have gotten darker right now.

“...Fuck.”, you cursed lowly, shaking your head, making him chuckle huskily. Where did you get yourself into this time...? Things weren't going the way they were supposed to go. Your mind felt kind of blurry already – maybe drinking with certain pirates wasn't such a good idea... well, it was already too late. Nothing that could be changed now even if you wanted to.  
“You know... that doesn't make it better.”, he replied, not breaking the eye-contact with you. Oh, yes, you knew. You were only making it worse. But somehow, you didn't care. The more you stared at him, the more you felt that strange tingling sensation in your whole body and the less you cared about your reputation. It had never been too good after all.

The next moment, you felt lips on yours, pulling you into a rough, hot kiss. You didn't care that you were kissing a ruthless pirate captain back, burying your hands in his hair and back. You didn't care that you would lose your job as soon as Sengoku got to know this – it felt just too good.

~*~

To your own surprise – you didn't regret that action. You weren't sure how you ended up on Kidd's ship this night – oh, and this night had been one of the best you had ever experienced until now. Sure, your head was pounding the moment you woke up but expect for that everything seemed just right.  
You had put your clothes back on, stretching yourself. It was a messy room you were standing in, but it neither bothered nor surprised you. That red-haired didn't seem like someone who cared for clean rooms. That he wasn't here wasn't surprising – maybe he was talking to his right-hand man, figuring out the best method to kill you. Or maybe, maybe he would take you with him. You could live with both.

You left his room, walking through the rather large ship, searching for him with your Observation Haki. It didn't take long to find him on deck – talking to Killer, just as expected. You walked over to them, leaning against the railing and watching them for a moment.  
“Oi, Eustass.”, you hummed, making him look at you, eyebrows slightly narrowed.  
“I told you to call me-” “Yeah, I know.”, you interrupted him, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “That aside – what'cha gonna do with me now?”  
For a second, he stared at you, before a grin appeared on his lips. “What do you expect, huh? You're a marine.”  
“I was I guess. Sengoku would kill me the moment he found out about last night.”, you hummed, shrugging your shoulders. “Fine. Sounds like you want to kill me as well. Not a bad choice.”  
You watched him come closer, ignoring Killer behind him. He stopped right in front of you, staring at you – his grin had disappeared, now he seemed thoughtful.  
“That wouldn't be fun. Kidnapping somebody just to kill him right after that is boring – guess going on your nerves will be more amusing – for me at least~”, he finally replied, a provoking grin appearing on his face. 

You raised your eyebrows in doubt, huffing afterwards. “Sounds like something I can live with. What a nice Christmas present...”, you muttered, “So. I'll live with pirates from now on? Could definitely be worse...”  
“You have no idea.”, Kidd grinned, making you shrug your shoulders.  
“I can live with dirt, silly jokes, robberies. I'm not your usual marine.”, you murmured, earning a short chuckle.  
“Yeah, I know. Listen to my orders and don't do anything stupid or I might end up killing you.”  
Now you were the one to grin lopsidedly. “Fine, fine, captain”


	3. Day Three ~ Crocodile

Yeah, no. This was undoubtly the WORST Christmas that you’ve had until now. Which meant quite a lot, considering you were a few years older than your apparent life partner. You growled as yet another burn appeared on your skin as another lie tumbling from his lips engrained into your skin. You didn’t flinch at the pain, since it wasn’t unusual. The stinging sensation, this time on your left hip, made you sneer at him, and he snapped his jaw shut with an unpleasant frown. 

“..... Yeah ok, that was a lie. Goddamn, how do you even DO that every time!?” he grunted, shifting uncomfortably. 

“ Like I’m ever going to tell you!” you snapped, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “ damn it, Crocodile! I thought we were over this already! I don’t CARE who you lie to, but don’t lie to me. I can life with the truth! “ you complained in a cold tone, and as he opened his mouth again, you raised a hand, cutting him short. “No. Don’t even start it. We’re not talking about this anymore. I’m sick of you lying to me. You’re sleeping on the floor tonight.” You declared, and noticed with sick pleasure as his shoulders slumped down.

The man may be a great pirate and many times stronger than you were, but he was a stupid guy, starving for love and affection. Something you were willing to give – you were alright with overlooking his past, so long as he kept you save, and sincerely cared for you.

As it was clear he wasn’t going to protest, you massaged your temples and muttering “ I’m gonna take a shower, if you enter the bathroom, I’ll find a way to desecrate you” under your breath, brushed past him down the hallway. 

You sighed as you closed the door behind yourself, turning the key to lock it. Sometimes you hated your devilfruit so damn much! With quick, jerky movements, you pulled of your clothes and stepped into the shower, turning on the water. Welcoming the first icy streams, a sharp intake of breath later it already warmed up. It did wonders for your tense muscles as you slowly relaxed. You closed your eyes for a moment before reopening them and staring at your arms and wrists. Sentences were burned into the skin, some faded into white scars, some a fresh and angry red. Some were inky black, like tattoos. Pain and sadness overcame you at the sheer amounts of ‘I love you’’s on the sunkissed skin. Then there were some, the inky black ones, that spelled ‘I did never cheat on you’. The red one, seemingly fresh, a deep, ugly and angry red spelled out ‘ I did not kill your sister’. Yeah, that one would probably never heal. 

“ I should really reconsider to have Crocodile as a target. That’s the fifth lie this week.” You grumbled. Though, he never lied on the important things. Sure, there were always the smaller ones, they stung a little bit, but they usually weren’t stronger than a cat’s scratch, like when he said he had done something important, when he was just out and drinking with Daz Bonez. But this week alone, he had told you five lies. Five! None of them really grave, none of them where worse than scratches, but still.

If it weren’t for his otherwise very sincere words and feelings to you, you’d have left the idiot by now. But he never pushed you. It’s been a few month, and though he was a little annoyed, he never forced you into getting intimate. Never questioned your choice of clothes, which covered all of your skin as much as possible. You sighed. Damn idiot. It would be much easier if he just didn’t like you. 

After finishing up and redressing in sleeping clothes, drying your hair with a towel, you unlocked the room and left. You went immediately to bed, not caring whether you boyfriend was sulking or not. You pulled the blankets up and rolled them around yourself, staring unhappily into the darkness. After a while, you fell into a restless sleep, waking up after a while as the one handed male entered the room as silently as he could. He had changed into his sleeping attire – consisting only of a pair of loose fitting pants and had discarded his hook. 

You pretended to be asleep, but grumbled as he sat down on the edge of the bed anyways. Damn, he knew you were a light sleeper when angered. It stayed silent, and he sighed in defeat. 

“ I’m sorry. Honestly.” He said, and you waited for the burn on your skin, that didn’t come. “I was out, yes. With Bonez, yes. But not drinking.” Again, there was no burning sensation, and you turned your head to him, staring at him out of annoyed eyes.   
“ I got something for you. It’s Christmas eve after all and I... I just wanted to get you something, you know? But I noticed I know very little about you, I didn’t even know if you like jewels or other fancy stuff women normally like, so I asked him for help.” He confessed. 

You stayed silent, but the annoyance faded making way for a tired gaze. “ You could have just... told me you were out with him.” You said, reprimanding him . “ No need to twist it to a lie. That hurts, you know” you shifted until the blanket loosened around you and sat up. You contemplated you next move carefully, before sighing. “ You wanted to know how I always know when you lie, right?” he nodded, and you made a grimace.   
“ Ok. Gimme a sec to... prepare myself. I don’t quite like what I’m about to do.” You murmured. Pulling of the gloves you wore even at night, you stretched your hand to rest it above his heart. It started glowing an ominous red, before you lowered them into your lap. 

“ Tell me, Crocodile- no, PROMISE ME: that you never, ever tell me a lie on purpose. My devilfruit enables me to tell a lie from the truth if I so wish it, but only on the person I have selected as my ‘target’. Currently, you are my target.” You started out. He slowly nodded. Good, he was listening at least. 

“What did you just do to me?”

“ I gave you that same possibility considering me. You will know whenever I lie. Trust me.”

“...Alright. “ it seemed, for now, he was letting it slip. He sighed and pushed his hand into his pocket, pulling out a small satin sachet. He hesitated, before giving it to you. You took it from him with slight confusion.

“ What is this?”

“ ...a small present. I didn’t know what to get you, so I ended with that. If you don’t want it, you can... I don’t know. Throw it away, though that would probably hurt me a little.” He frowned, carefully choosing his words. 

You frowned, pulling at the thin strings to open it, and tilted it so the content spilled onto your open palm. A medallion fell into your hand, and you blinked in surprise. You stared at him for a second, before dropping the sachet and opening the locked, finding a photo in it. It was of your younger sister, who you had loved very much. The other side was still empty. 

“ It’s waterproof if locked. I’m sorry about taking the photo, but it looked crumbled from all the time you carried it with you, so I thought you might like a way to keep it on your person at all time.” He said, voice low, almost uncertain. 

You smiled. “.. Thank you. This is a wonderful gift. I’m not happy about the lie that the photo got destroyed, but you are right; this is better.” You said, opening the lock and fumbling to put it on. You had to do it alone, since Crocodile only had one hand, not that you minded that very much.

“ (y/n)?”

“ Hm?”

“Will you forgive me?” he asked, cautious. 

You pondered that for a while. “ I don’t know, I guess. You didn’t scar me permanently yet, which is pretty much an achievement. I guess, I will. In time. We will see if you will stay true to your word.”

“ I will try, at the very least.” He nodded. Silence took over, this time more comfortably than before. “ Will you one day tell me how you feel..?” he asked, looking at you out of longing eyes. 

You stilled, and in a sickly satisfying idea, you chuckled. Giving him a sweet smile, you hummed. “ Oh I will. Right now. I hate you.” You said, with as much false venom as you were capable off. 

He flinched back and cursed, scrambling to look at his left underarm. Thick cuts appeared on the skin, dropping some blood, until the words turned a deep red, but seemingly like ink. Scarred ink. Crocodile stared disbelieving at his skin, brushing the blood away with his other hand and tracing the protruding scars. He paled as he returned to look at you, your gaze a sad, solemn look on the lie engraved on his skin.

“You just lied...” understanding crossed his features and he paled as you nodded. 

“Yes. Every lie hurts, some more some less. Some fade out after a while, some heal. Some become inky, a sign that they made a big impact on the receiver. Some never heal, and always stay as a gruesome reminder of misplaced trust.” You explain, shifting your gaze back to him. 

“ I’m sorry. This was... I did this because of a selfish reason. I’m not as forgiving as you think me, Crocodile. While I don’t hate you, I don’t exactly love you just yet. I do like you very much, however.” You smiled sadly. His stare begun to unnerve you, and you lowered your gaze. 

“I know this probably creeps you out. I will end this, if you want and-“

“Did I ever ink you?” he interrupted you, speaking awfully fast and making you blink in confusion and surprise.

“I... no? You haven’t, yet. Never more than scratches, aside from one burn mark.” He relaxed a little bit, his fingers still absently tracing the new addition on his skin. “ Should I-“

“No. No, this is fine. I want this.” he reassured you, and you were surprised that he meant it that way. 

“You... you are not creeped out?”

“No. If anything, I’m grateful. This helps me understand you better. Also, I can be sure whenever you speak a lie. I don’t think you lie all that much, but better safe than sorry. Besides, this is just fair. I did cause you grieve and pain, unwanted.” He hummed. 

You stared at him, before relaxing more, and smiling at him. With a small shake of your head, you started undoing the buttons on your top. His hand reached out for yours, stilling yours. “ You don’t need to do this with me. I can wait.”

“ I know. But I want to.” You smiled. After a few seconds, he retracted his hand, smiling. 

And if you noticed him tracing every inked ‘I love you’ on your skin with a kiss, you pretended you didn’t notice, as did he pretend he didn’t hear you low “Merry Christmas, Crocodile”


	4. Day 4 ~ Corazon

You were sitting on the window sill, dangling your feet and watching another ship enter the harbour. It was early in the morning, the sun was about to rise, making it easier to watch them. The moment they docked, they prepared to bring the cargo ashore. It wasn't exciting to watch, but much better than a few other things you should do. You knew, sooner or later someone like Baby 5 would come to pick you up if you didn't appear. Well, it was early in the morning, you had enough time left, right?

Half an hour later, you jumped down, landing on the window sill below yours. The window was open as usual, making it easy for you to enter the kitchen, closing it afterwards. Since you were the first to enter and the last to leave this room, you could make sure that the window stayed open over night. Some fresh air didn't kill anyone, did it? You sighed, stretching and looking around. Well, time to prepare breakfast – just as usual. 

You were almost done when Baby 5 entered, smiling widely at you. She was such a young girl – and yet to be underestimated. You knew what she was capable of, but you weren't afraid of her. To be honest, there were only a few people you feared – like that one bastard who took you with him. You should be thankful that he didn't kill you, but the way he saved you took so many things away from you. Saving was the wrong word – kidnapped sounded more accurate. You couldn't stand him, but you had accepted your fate. He wouldn't send you on missions, knowing you might take the chance to get away from here. Yeah, you would. Any chance to escape that wouldn't kill you would be used.  
“Wanna bring the young master his coffee?”, you wanted to know calmly, earning a nod. 

“And the tea!”, she exclaimed, making you sigh. Of course she wanted that. At the beginning, you had simply let her do what she wanted – but now that you knew why she wanted to bring Corazon his tea, you made sure it wasn't too hot. She and Buffalo loved to mess with the clumsy man, wanting him to spill it out and fall on the floor. Usually, you wouldn't care, but he was an exception. He didn't seem like it – none of Doflamingo's men did, but he was.

“Okay, I'll prepare it. First, please bring the pot over there to Doffy and the others.”, you hummed, getting a cup and saucer. You had prepared the tea in another can already so it wouldn't be as hot as it usually was. After you poured it out, you handed it to the black-haired girl, grabbing the plate with pancakes you had made and following her outside in the hall. Most of Doffy's closer members were already there, talking and enjoying themselves. You put the plate down without a word, turning around in order to leave the room when Doffy called your name.

“(y/n), you should join us. We're discussing our Christmas celebration. You don't want to miss that, do you?” You stared at him for a brief second, suppressing the urge to grimace. He wouldn't accept objections – that's why you sat down with a sigh.  
“Okay. What did I miss?”, you calmly wanted to know, leaning back and looking at the blond man. You couldn't stand his grin, not the least, but you kept quiet.  
“A few things, fufufu~ Important for you will be the dinner and the baking with the children.” Oh... yay. The dinner – as huge as it would be – wouldn't be a problem, but... you and baking with those three? Chaos. That would end in chaos, at least if you thought about Baby 5 and Buffalo. Law didn't seem like a such a troublemaker. He was a calm one – and cold because of what he went through.  
“Okay... concerning the dinner, I'll just need the list of meals you want. Guess Jora will cook as well like last year?”, you wanted to know, one eyebrow raised.  
“Of course I will! Somebody has to make sure that the meals look perfect!”, the older woman exclaimed, making you smirk.  
“Figured as much.”, you hummed, throwing a look at Baby 5 who was grinning widely at you. It was obvious that she loved the thought of making chaos in the kitchen – chaos she didn't have to clean up afterwards.

Doffy started talking again – to Diamante this time, so you kept quiet, wanting to leave again – and just like many times before you were stopped. This time by the fast little girl that grabbed your hand, chuckling amused. “So, when will we bake? Buffalo and I have great ideas of how to decorate the cookies!”, she wanted to know curiously, making you raise one eyebrow.  
“Since Christmas is close, we should do that soon, true. How about I check if we have enough ingredients, depending on that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?”  
She tilted her head, seeming in thought, soon nodding as a response. “Sounds good! I'll tell Buffalo and Law!” And with that, she left you alone, making you roll your eyes. Such a small whirlwind...

~*~

You crossed your arms in front of your chest, staring at the closets in front of you. Seemed like you would be baking tomorrow... with those three. You couldn't help but grimace, knowing how much trouble it would cause you. You better prepared yourself for that mentally. You would definitely lose your nerves. Closing your eyes, you sighed, shaking your head lightly. Fine. However that would work...

You checked the door of the kitchen, making sure it was closed, before you turned towards the window. The day had passed rather fast – lunch and dinner had been calm. The pirates had talked about Christmas as well as future plans on terrorising other islands – not that you bothered. You couldn't change it, so you decided to not think about it. It would cause you a lot of doubts and worries. 

You climbed into your room, stretching afterwards. For a moment, you stared at your bed, sighing deeply. It was easy to tell that you wouldn't sleep much this night – just like every other night. It was kinda difficult, getting much sleep with nightmares following you. And that was all Doflamingo's fault. You went to your bed, taking off your clothes, falling on it afterwards. You pulled your blanked over your head, closing your eyes – and after about an hour, you fell asleep.

~*~

Explosions. Screams. The earth was shaking – and you were in the middle of it. The island you had lived on, had always been at war, making life hard and difficult. It was like an island divided up in two camps, both trying to win the battle to get better resources that were found in the middle of the island. 

But it had all been worth it. Trouble, fights, lack of food – nothing had bothered you. You loved your parents, your brothers and sisters – everybody did their best to help each other. It was the only reason you had survived so long. You had always went into the middle of the island with your brothers to collect or steal food, not caring about any injuries you could get.  
There was one difference this time. You were alone – you had to manage everything by yourself. Bad time you had chosen, yeah. So many cannon shots were fired, you had no clue how you managed to avoid them. You were running, trying to avoid direct fights – you needed to get past them in order to collect something edible. Your brothers were hunting, your sisters helping your mother at home – and it was your task to get wheat and corn. Sounded easy, but was the exact opposite.

You couldn't expect anything to be different this time than every other day you went there – but it was. After collecting corn, filling a bag with it, you wanted to go back. You managed to avoid fights, slowly but surely realising that something was odd. It had gotten ways more destructive – something none of the fighters would provoke. They wouldn't burn the plants down, only destroy the more unusable areas – and the presences were weird, stronger. What in the world was going on?  
You jumped back, avoiding a shot that could have killed you. You had to stop, staring at the strange man in front of you. He wore a weird uniform, some underling. The moment, he shot again, you started running, dodging his attacks and passing him. You couldn't waste your time here – you had to make sure your family was alright.

You froze in spot as you arrived at the buildings you and your family had lived in. They were completely destroyed – no sign of your mother or sisters. Fear and worries grew, making you shiver lightly. You had to find them...! You could take care of yourself, but your little sisters were so weak...!

You started running again, not really sure about where you should search for them – but you couldn't stay there any longer. Finding them seemed almost impossible, the whole island was covered in flames – and you, a young woman, were out of breath, terrible exhausted. It was only a question of time until you would collapse if you continued like that. You stopped, grimacing because of the exhaustion. Your sight was getting blurry, but you shook your head to focus, slowly moving on.   
The scream of a young girl made you freeze, turning your head around, starting to run once more. You weren't fast enough. You could see your sister falling down on the floor, shot by a tall slimy man. He laughed only to aim at you as he recognised you. He didn't hit you surprisingly – you didn't know though how you had managed to dodge the attack. You felt anger – the urge to punch that bastard in his face, but you couldn't. Suddenly, you were pulled back, invisible strings slung around your arms. You tried to free yourself, but it didn't work, it only made the man laugh. “Seems like a though one, fufufu~ Let's take her with us.”

The situation only got worse and worse – your brother appeared behind them. “You won't! Leave her alone!” The pirate shook his head with a grin, pointing at him – obviously an order cause the next moment, Kilian was shot, falling on the floor next to your dead sister. Your blood turned cold as you stared at them – you wanted to scream, you wanted to cry, but you couldn't. That picture of your dead siblings was burned into your soul, appearing every night in your dreams.

~*~

You blinked, opening your eyes and staring at an invisible point in the darkness. You hated it. Every night the same. You relived that one awful day and woke up afterwards. Grumbling, you stood up, leaving your room. It was late in the night – you knew how calm this huge building got at this late hour, there was no risk of running into one of those idiots. There was only one person you'd like to see now – Rocinante. You knew he was part of the Navy, that he was a spy, that he wasn't mute – and you were glad of it. He hated his brother – and you could easily understand why. You came along pretty well although you finding out about his secret had been a coincidence. Since then you had often talked to him at night. He didn't sleep much, filling out certain reports at night – and you liked simply staying with him during that work.

You knocked at his door twice, entering the room with a slight hum. As usual, the blond man was sitting at his desk, throwing a short look and smile at you as you closed the door behind you. “Busy as usual, huh?”, you murmured, sitting down on the floor next to the table.  
“Of course. I've got to inform them about the next attack.”, he replied, rubbing the back of his head. “Slept bad again?”  
You sighed, closing your eyes. “I wouldn't be here if I slept well... or maybe I would be, but yeah, you're right. Same nightmare as usual.”  
“Why do I even ask?”, he mused, shaking his head. “I wish I could give you some advice, but...”  
“Don't worry, it's okay. I'm used to it.”, you interrupted him. “I'm fine as long as I've got your company.”  
He paused for a moment, harrumphing embarrassed. “I'll take that as a compliment...”, he hesitantly murmured, making you chuckle.  
“There are a few more compliments I could tell you, but I think it's better letting you work~”  
For a second, he kept quiet. “Thank you... and I wish you all the luck for your baking session.”  
You grimaced lightly. “Oh, I'll need that... as well as strong nerves...”

~*~

Somehow, you were glad that Christmas arrived. Preparing the dinner was easier although it was more work than the baking. There had been flour and decor crumble everywhere – even at the ceiling. No idea how the children managed to get it there, but they did. Honestly, you wouldn't bake with them anymore even if Doffy wanted you to. It was a real catastrophe!

It was ways easier and more gentle on your nerves to cook with Jora. You cooked the dishes, she made sure they looked good and brought them outside. You didn't plan on joining them, but it seemed like Jora was expecting that as she wanted you to accompany her, bringing the last two plates out there together. Great, no chance to get away. Spending time with the pirates you hated – at Christmas Eve. There was nothing better in this fucking world!  
It felt like decades. You were sitting together, eating, talking about harmless things – you felt so uncomfortable. Without hesitation, they would kill anyone opposing them and tonight, they were acting like a damn family.

After dinner, it was time for the presents – you didn't expect to get any. You didn't get anything for others neither – how should you, always having to stay in the house? Baby 5 and Buffalo were running towards the big Christmas tree already, the others standing up, following them.   
You took your time, waiting until most of them left the table. You weren't going to join them much longer, you didn't want to. You collected the dirty plates, bringing them into the kitchen – and taking your favourite escape route: the window. It wouldn't surprise them, so why not?  
It was cold outside, but it kinda helped you relax. Such an awful day. You missed your family, your parents, brothers and sisters. You couldn't accept those pirates. They killed your family – you couldn't become a part of this.

The moment you entered your room, confusion engulfed you. There was a gift lying on your bed – a small one. The wrapping paper was a bit wrinkled and had a red glitter ball motive on it. You grabbed it hesitantly, narrowing your eyebrows. The only person who would make you a present was-  
“Corazon...”, you muttered, opening it slowly. A small box. Placed inside was a silver bracelet with small heart-shaped pendants and a note. It was cute. You took it, eyeing it curiously, a small smile appearing on your lips. You liked it – but you didn't have a present for him. Sadly as you should mention.  
With a hum, you read the note, tilting your head. It told you to come to his room this night – there was something he had to talk to you about. Whatever it was couldn't be too bad, right?

~*~

As he wrote, you entered his room this night. Again, he was sitting at this desk, but he was turning around the moment you entered. You smiled lopsidedly at him, holding up the hand with the bracelet.  
“Thank you, I really didn't expect to get any gift today.”, you hummed, walking over to him. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, seeming a bit insecure.  
“I thought it would be a nice idea. It's only a little gift but...”  
“But it is something. I don't have a gift for you, so I thought...”, you didn't finish your sentence, giving him a gentle kiss on his cheek, making him blush. “I can't give you much expect for a kiss... or two~”, you hummed innocently, your following actions depending on his reaction. His blush darkened as he stared at you, a grin appearing on your lips.  
“You've got to talk to me, Rocinante. If you don't want a kiss, it's fine, you know.”, you continued, tilting your head innocently.  
“No, no! It's just...”, he paused, shaking his head. “I wouldn't mind a kiss... although there is something we have to talk about first...”, he admitted.  
You hummed with a nod. “What is it?”  
“There might be a way for you to get away from here.”, he explained, smirking because of your surprised look. “I'm planning on taking Law with me and search a doctor that can heal him. I could take you along – as my voice when Doffy calls.”

For a brief second, you bluntly stared at him, before you jumped at him, hugging him and placing the promised kiss on his lips. “That sounds great! I can't stay this place...” You stopped, eyeing him curiously. His face was dark red and he seemed frozen in spot, but he kept holding you though. You chuckled, poking his cheek. “You're the best~”, you hummed, kissing him again shortly. “That's the best Christmas gift!”  
“Y-you're welcome.”, he murmured, harrumphing afterwards. “Yours isn't too bad either. Merry Christmas, (y/n).”  
“Merry Christmas to you, Roci~”


	5. Day Five ~ Thatch

“... I am NOT cleaning up this mess.” you stated, and the brown haired male flinched and whined. Not that it was your problem. 

“H-honey, come ooooon... I’m sorry...?” he tried, but you just gave him your very best glare.

Repeating an emotionless “Not cleaning this mess”, you wiped at your face, hoping to get rid of the flour in your face. Of course, it did exactly nothing, so you just growled, turned on your heels, and left behind your idiot of a boyfriend. Mumbling under your breath, you weren’t in the least surprised to notice the rest of the men moving aside to make a clear path for you.

The one time he promised you he wouldn’t do something stupid so you’d spend Christmas with him on the ship, and not even three hours into the day you were already angered beyond measure. There was a reason you resided on shore and refused to travel with him on the Moby Dick. Aside from the fact you were no nurse, and no pirate either, so you felt unneeded on board. And that very reason was your tendency to snap at Thatch. 

Sure, he was a whole lot stronger than you – but he never had the guts to actually hurt you. Not even pinching or stuff, while you were a pretty violent person. More often than not Thatch would have bruises, bloody bitemarks or other injuries after his stay. 

You stopped walking abruptly. 

And even though, he still always came back, never accused you, never avoided you, always having that damned bright smile on his face. Like he... like he was HAPPY to have you, despite all your flaws and anger issues, despite all the stuff you had said to him, despite you being cold and cruel to him on your worst days, and telling him you were hating him on your best. 

You stared down at the wooden floor, tears flooding your vision, but refusing to let them fall. Damn. He definitely deserved better than you. You took a long breather, turning the corridor to walk back to your room, before halting, sighing in frustration, and turning once more. It was probably time to show him there was also a reason why you still hadn’t shot him down after all this time. 

“I can’t believe I’m about to do something so stupid. One day I’m gonna make him pay in honest for making me fall for him. Stupid idiot, bastard, dick, coward.” You cursed under your breath, entering his room. You went straight to the adjacent bathroom, entered, and locked it behind you. Shedding your clothes off, still practically spewing insults at him he (probably) didn’t deserve, you took a calming icy shower. It took time until all the flour was out of your hair and you shivered by then, but you were mostly calmer, your mind not the jumbled mess from before. You heaved another sigh, stepping out of the shower after turning it off, grapping the next best towel, not minding that you were wetting the floor. 

You looked at your clothes, pondering your next action, and growled as you went to your pants, picking out the small box from the pockets. “ I’m going to regret this, I just know.” Unlocking the room, you were not surprised to find Thatch practically jumping up from the bed, looking at you in uncertainty, fidgeting slightly. You stared at him, one hand holding the towel curled around you, the other hand clutching the box.

“(y/n) I –“ he started, but you interrupted him, throwing the box straight into his face. He yelped, but didn’t intercept it, only catching it after it had perfectly hit his nose. With an unhappy frown he lowered his gaze to the box, before his gaze flickered back to your for a moment. “... What is this?”

“A box. I thought that much was obvious.” You snarled.

“No I meant-“

“Just hurry up and open it.” 

He stared a moment longer at you, before humming, and simply doing as told. His eyes widened considerable as soon as he saw the contents, mouth opening but nothing getting out of him. Instead, he stared at you, frozen in place.

You waited for a response, but when none came, you hummed. So it had been the wrong thing to do, apparently. Schooling your features carefully into indifference to hide the hurt and slight panic, you turned back to the bathroom, with the intention to get dressed again and leave. Instead, your wrist got caught and you were swirled around until you were almost nose to nose with the brunet. 

“I’ll take it as the ‘I love you’ that it’s meant to be, (y/n)” he whispered, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your cold lips. He stayed there, not deepening the kiss, but also not coaxing you into reciprocating. After a short moment you closed your eyes, tilting your head slightly, and gave in, kissing him back. It was a domestic kiss, nothing more than lips moving against each other, and you melted a little inside. Thatch slowly pulled back, and you chased his lips without a thought, receiving a low chuckle. “Thank you, (y/n). I’ll treasure it. But you realize that I’ll really never leave you now, right?” he hummed.

You grimaced a little, pulling back to look at him. “You’ve always been loyal to a fault, dumbass. There’s no significant change here in comparison to before.” You said, voice almost dripping in venom. 

Thatch grinned, and his hand left your wrist, brushing over your arm, up your shoulders, and cupping your neck, his thumb brushing the corner of your lips, pulled into a small but nasty snarl. He chuckled once more. 

“Whatever you say, (y/n). Come to bed, let me warm you up. Your skin is icy.” He smiled, using his hand on your neck to pull you towards the bed. 

“I knew I’d regret this.” You stated, receiving a little laugh, and as he sat down on the bed, you crawled between his legs. “I hate you.” You whisper against his lips, before claiming a tender kiss.

“Liar. I love you.” He hummed.

“... Merry Christmas, Thatch.” You sigh, and as you raise your gaze to the mirror above the headboard, you find that snarl still in place on your lips, but it was softer than it usually was, and the corners of your mouth were turned the slightest bit upwards. And maybe it was all worth the eternal frustration with him, because you were finally warming up, the warmth spreading from all the places his rough but gentle hands touched, and from a small place in your heart, solely reserved for the man that was able to put up with you for many years now.


	6. Day 6 ~ Ace

“I see it! I see the next island!”, you chimed, pointing at the island a few miles away from you. You landed behind the black-haired pirate on his Striker, not having a single problem keeping your balance. Usually you were running next to him – thanks to your mixture of Geppo and Soru easily possible even for a longer time. Of course you got exhausted from time to time, that's when you decided to land behind him. Not like now – you just wanted to show him the island and maybe tease him again.

“I'm not blind, (y/n).”, he hummed, shaking his head with a small grin on his face. “No race this time, hm?”, he added, making you chuckle.  
“Nope! I want to keep my breath this time~”, you replied, leaning against his back and placing your chin at his shoulder. “And you know, I feel the cold unlike you. Staying close to you is a must-do until I get a coat!”  
“Sure. You could have bought one at the last island – you knew we were heading to a winter island, didn't you?”

You rolled your eyes, a grin appearing on your lips. “Well, yes... but you remember what happened last time I bought a coat? You set it on fire, so I decided not to risk that again.”, you explained, feeling how he flinched lightly.  
“...that's true – and I already told you that I'm sorry, didn't I?”, he mused thoughtfully.  
“Yeah and it's fine. Just explaining~”, you hummed, keeping your eyes on the island. “So... the plan is to collect information as usual... and since that might take some time around Christmas, we'll probably stay there for a few days, right?”  
You could hear Ace sigh, before he nodded. “Might be the best choice we have.”  
You hummed contently, nodding a few times, a wide smile appearing on your face. Guess your surprise for him might work.

~*~

“This island is huge! And beautiful!”, you chimed, snuggling up into your new coat. It was very soft and warm, perfect when you were staying on a winter island like this for a longer time. You wouldn't mind cuddling with Ace to stay warm, but this was pretty nice as well.  
This island was perfect! Christmas was that one time when you should spend time with your family – and Ace's family was his pirate crew. Sure, and his brother, but since he met him a few weeks ago, not meeting him again didn't seem bad. Of course you wanted him to meet up with the Whitebeard pirates and make a break from his hunt – but he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't return and give up his traces of Blackbeard. 

So, since you were travelling with him, you had decided to organise a meeting. Contacting his crew had been the first step, getting a transponder snail the second and calling them to inform them about one or two things the third and last step. As long as they managed to get here in time and on the right part of the island, Ace wouldn't be able to dodge them. Sure, he might be annoyed that you didn't tell him anything, but you took this risk. They just wanted to see him – talking him out of his hunt wasn't planned. Everybody knew he wouldn't stop – even if it killed him.

You looked around searching, tilting your head left and right. What now? You and Ace had split up after deciding on the hotel at which you would stay this time, so now you were free to do what you wanted. Maybe a bit shopping? That was never too bad.

~*~

It was quite enjoyable, this city. Most of the people seemed friendly, even facing pirates they kept their manners – as long as they deserved it. Wouldn't be too bad living here with one's family. As long as you had one.  
The moment you stopped in front of a small stand, eyeing the jewellery they were selling, you felt a weak presence coming closer. You didn't really think about it. Only a few seconds later, someone ran into you, making you turn around your head to eye the girl. She carried a big loaf of bread, staring at you with fear. “What's the-”

“Stop the thief!” You could easily have grabbed her, but you didn't. “Thief, huh?”, you repeated, ignoring the scream, pointing your head slightly to the right, showing her to move on. She started running, disappearing in a small alley afterwards. You could hear the angry seller, ignoring him. If a young girl had to steal, there was definitely something wrong with her family. Well, if she had one... honestly, usually it meant that something bad had happened.

“Hey.”, you calmly murmured, turning around to look at the seller – an elderly man that grumbled lowly.  
“What?”, he huffed, making you raise one eyebrow.  
“How much does a loaf cost?”, you wanted to know, earning a confused look.  
“Around 200 Belly.”, he finally replied, “Why do you want to know that? Don't tell me you want to pay for those children.”  
You grabbed your wallet, pulling out 10.000 Belly, holding them up. “Oh yes. Leave them be. Let them steal bread for the next months and this money is yours. Should be enough, right?”  
He hesitated, narrowing his eyebrows. “Why are you willing to pay for them? Those three caused me trouble the last weeks...”  
You huffed. “Ever thought about the situation they are in? I don't think children steal food for fun. I want to help them since I got no help back then when I've been in a similar situation.”, you explained, “So, do you want the money or not?”

With a sigh, he gave up, nodding in agreement. “I'll take it. They can steal bread for the next months without me chasing them.”  
You nodded, handing him the banknotes. “Great... and I dare you to break this agreement. I'm not wanted for nothing.” Your threatening glare made him flinch.  
“I won't, okay? And now I've got to hurry back...”, he muttered, already turning away and leaving. With a sigh, you looked around, taking the same way the girl had taken before, only to jump onto the roof of a house a few minutes later. So, now you knew what you were going to do.

~*~

“You didn't tell him, yoi?”, the blond pirate wanted to know, one eyebrow raised questioning. You chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of your head.  
“Nope. I just told him that it's important to meet me here this evening. I don't think he knows that you're here, Marco.”, you hummed, crossing your arms behind your back. “So... you prepared for a big Christmas Eve celebration tonight?”, you wanted to know curiously, eyeing the giant ship and the pirates curiously.  
“Of course, yoi. A big crew needs a big party. You're gonna join us, aren't you, yoi?”, he wanted to know, a lopsided smile on his lips. You shrugged your shoulders, looking back at the blond man.  
“We'll see. I've got something left to do, but maybe I'll drop in afterwards.”, you gave back with a hum.  
“You shouldn't miss it. I bet Ace wants you to be there as well, yoi.”, he chuckled, making you grimace lightly.  
“Sure... so he can blame me.”, you murmured, shaking your head. “Whatever. I'm gone now. See you later, Marco~”, you hummed, stretching and turning around.

~*~

Three children. Two girls, one boy. You guessed that they were around ten years old, maybe a bit older. The last days, you had managed to find their hideout, a small wooden building. It was separated from most of the other houses. You didn't know whether they were siblings, orphans or not – but it was easy to see that they were having a hard life like that.  
You stopped in front of the door, knocking at it. From one moment to another they stopped talking, probably scared or unsettled. They wouldn't expect someone to visit them, would they? You grinned amused, shaking your head.

“Hey, kids, there's no need to worry. I don't want to harm you.”, you spoke, placing on hand at your hip.  
You could hear one of them exhale, followed by quick steps. The next moment the door was opened by the young girl you had met before. She stared at you with wide eyes, obviously surprised. She had recognised your voice – but she didn't really believe it.  
“You? You're that woman from the market...!” You chuckled, grinning at her. “Yeah. Followed you back then.”, you hummed, following her inside. The other children were watching you cautiously, not knowing you.  
“I told you about her, remember? She let me go!”, she explained, now turning back to you. “What do you want from us?” 

With a hum, you put you shopping bag down, smiling mischievously. “Let's just say I wanted to please some children today. I don't know you or your situation, but I can still to do something for you. Or rather, give you some Christmas presents.”  
They were staring at you with wide eyes, exchanging confused looks. “Presents... for us? But...”  
“No buts, not tonight. I do what I want and I wanted to do something good this time.”, you interrupted the boy. “I hope you like cookies.”, you added with a grin.

“Cookies?!”, they simultaneously exclaimed, the next moment the boy grabbed the bag, looking at you questioning.  
“The red box.”, you answered his unspoken question. He took it, opening it. “Wow! Hey, hey, Linn, here!”, he offered the brunette girl some, eating one himself.  
“Enjoy them and I hope you like the other presents as well.” You rubbed the back of your head. “I'll leave soon, but I wish you the best of luck. I know the struggle you have.”  
They kept quiet for a moment, lowering their heads. “Thank you...”

~*~

Pirates and Christmas seemed like a funny combination – it was another reason for them to drink alcohol and throw a party. You had spent a few more minutes with the children, but now you were leaning against the railing of the Moby Dick, watching the celebrating pirates. Ace was there as well, enjoying himself. You smiled, tilting your head a bit.

“You know we're glad that this meeting you organised worked out, don't you?” You turned your head around, eyeing the man next to you.  
“Izo, right? Yeah, I know that. I'm happy you could meet up again.”, you replied with a smile, earning a nod.  
“He's stubborn, but I bet he feels lucky having a companion like you, even if he doesn't admit it. As well as he wouldn't admit what we all know – he will definitely bunk as soon as the party comes to an end.”  
You sighed, closing your eyes for a moment. “I doubt it. If he doesn't think I'm a pain in the neck, something's wrong. I simply followed him since I first fell on him.”, you murmured.  
“You fell on him...?”, Izo repeated your words, making you chuckle.  
“Sounds so weird... but yes. I lost the control of my Geppo, fell and landed on him. He wasn't amused, especially not when he realised I was following him~”, you grinned lopsidedly, shaking your head. Izo laughed, patting your shoulder.  
“I guarantee he would have gotten rid of you if you really were such a catastrophe.”, Izo replied, watching Ace and Marco. The blond threw a short look towards the two of you, pointing at you and Fire-fist afterwards.  
“Seems you should join them.”, Izo hummed, pushing you lightly, making you move forward.  
“Uhm... maybe I should...”, you muttered, taking a deep breath, before you went to them. So many pirates, so much alcohol, so much joy.

Marco grinned as you came closer, leaving you with Ace afterwards. The logia user stopped laughing as he saw you, placing one hand at his hip.  
“There she is, the reason for all of this.”, he mused, eyeing you with raised eyebrows.  
You hummed, rubbing the back of your head with a grin. “Hey Ace~ sorry I didn't tell you, I wanted to surprise you!”, you explained insecurely, earning a huff.  
“That definitely worked. I expected you to be there, not my entire crew.” He shook his head, sighing afterwards. “Although I have to admit... it's nice.”  
A smile appeared on your lips. “That's what I wanted to hear. I hoped you wouldn't hate me.”, you hummed.  
“Huh? Why should I hate you because of this?” He blinked, making you giggle awkwardly. 

The moment you wanted to reply, you felt someone landing on your shoulders, making you almost lose your balance. Ace had grabbed your arm, holding you, throwing and sceptical look at Haruta – the one standing on your shoulders.  
“There's someone standing underneath the mistletoe!”, he teasingly hummed, making you freeze. He wasn't doing that, was he? Ace had told you about his crew members – and Haruta was the one who loved playing pranks on others.  
“Seriously, Haruta?”, Ace wanted to know, earning a chuckle.  
“Of course! Don't you see it? You have to kiss her – or do you want me to do that for you?” His teasing voice made a blush appear on your face. This situation felt a bit awkward, at least for you and at the same time it didn't feel too bad.

You looked at the black-haired who seemed thoughtful, his eyebrows narrowed. “Definitely not.”, he replied bluntly, taking another step towards you. He grinned lopsidedly, before he kissed you – and you kissed back. You could hear a chuckle, before the weight on your shoulders disappeared.  
“That's... a pretty neat Christmas present.”, you hummed as you broke the kiss, a mischievous smile on your lips. “Ah, by the way, Merry Christmas!”  
“Merry Christmas, (y/n). Concerning your first statement, I agree ... but I won't tell that Haruta.”, Ace murmured, rolling his eyes. “Now, let's get you some alcohol! We have to party!”

~*~

Izo was right. The moment it got quiet on the ship, Ace was nowhere to be seen. You sighed, getting up and stretching. You've been sitting at the railing for half an hour, watching how the pirates started to fall asleep. You shook your head with a smile, preparing to leave the ship.  
“Keep an eye on him for us, yoi.” Marco's voice made you flinch, turning your head around. You nodded with a smile.  
“I'll give my best but as we all know... he's stubborn.”, you hummed.  
“I know but I think he needs some company, yoi. Take care, okay?”  
You chuckled. “I will. See or talk to you soon, Marco.” With that, you turned around, finally leaving the Moby Dick. There was some pirate you had to follow.

~*~

“Wanted to get rid of me, Ace?”, you wanted to know teasingly as you caught up with him. He had already set sail but thanks to his fire you had been able to see him. You landed behind him, placing your hands at his hips. “I can't believe it. Disappearing without a word. You really think I wouldn't follow you?”, you continued, earning a chuckle.  
His striker stopped as he turned around to hug you. “No, I knew you would follow me. I would've been disappointed if you weren't here by now.”, he replied, slowly turning around with you in his arms. You hummed contently, nestling to his chest.  
“I would've been hurt if you left, you know?”, you muttered, closing your eyes. “And I had to follow you. I didn't give you your present after all.”, you added murmuring, making him blink.  
“You got one for me?” His surprised voice made you giggle, nodding slowly. “In my bag but I'll give it to you at the next island.”, you teased, earning a grumbling.  
“Fine... seems like you have to wait with a present as well.”, he muttered, his eyebrows slightly narrowed.  
“No problem. Focus on your mission for now. I bet you've got some information to pursue.”  
“True... but I won't forget it!”  
“I believe you won't.”


	7. Day Seven ~ Corby

“Is everything set?” you hum in a question, raising your head after setting down the last plate on the table. “... Yes, looks good.” You nod to yourself in content. Well, it was just the slight off-chance of your boyfriend actually having the time to come home. It wasn’t something set in stone, far from it. Your darling pink haired cutie pie was a very busy man, you knew. Sadly so.

You were even more surprised when the door bell rang. “ Huh...” you hummed, walked up to the door and opening it to a very much trembling Corby.

“H-hey, (y/n) .... Mi-ind if I co-come in?” he asked, a wry smile curling his lips, his lips a pale shade of blue and his nose a beautiful, bright red. 

“Oh dear, you must be freezing! I’ll draw you a bath! Come in!” you rushed, taking his arm and gently pulled him in. You closed the door behind him, pushing him to the warm kitchen and onto a chair, turning around and grabbing the cup of tea you’ve had before, giving it to him. His fingers curled around the warm porcelain immediately, greedily relishing in the warmth it gave his cold digits. You smile softly at him.

“There’s still hot water over there, you know where I hoard the tea. Be back in a minute.” You hum, leaving the room to start the tub and pull out towels. You momentarily leave the bathroom to pull some fresh clothes for him from your wardrobe and placing them next to the towel in the bathroom. Testing the waters temperature, you nod to yourself in content and leave the room to go back to Corby.

He startles a little as you appear behind him, to take of his marine coat, and you say nothing even as you notice the soft pink dusting his cheeks. “ Thank you, (y/n)...” he smiles shyly and you beam at him. 

“Anytime, sweetheart. I didn’t think you’d actually make it this year.” you confess, as you hang up his coat, before going back and loosening his blue tie, standing behind him. He lets you proceed, although he obviously shifts a little, unused to such attention. Your smile never falters, if anything, it becomes even wider. 

“You set the table... “ he points out, flinching a little as you place your chin on his shoulder. 

“I did, yes. For the small off chance of you maybe still making it. Don’t worry about that. You just enjoy the attention for now!” chuckling you let your hands slide gently over his shoulders, humming as you notice how tense they were. Jep, next idea. You’d coddle the man tonight, like he deserved. “Come on, the water should be ready. Let’s get you warm and cleaned up!” you cheer.

Not mentioning the red tips of his ears, you pull him to his feet and drag him to the bathroom, gently pushing him in with your hands on his back. “Towels over there, and I gave you clean clothes. Although, do me a favour and just dress up in the shorts afterwards, yes? I still got plans for you. Enjoy the water, sweetbums!” with that you leave him alone, probably with a beet-red face and fretting over your words. Oh you knew he was shy, and you were... not shy. If anything, you had absolutely no brain-to-mouth filter, and absolutely no shame. It was a miracle he could put up with you, but then again – that was part of the fun, wasn’t it?

You continue to hum as you search the bedroom until you found the bottle of oil you needed. You kept countless bottles of oil or lube all over the house – you’ve had some quite... active boyfriends in the past and at some occasions this habit had spared you some pain, or at least, a very sore lower half. Corby was... Corby was different. He was shy and nice, and sweet and he was precious. A precious cinnamonroll. A knight in white armour. 

You giggle to yourself and change into something easier to move in, shorts and a spaghetti top. It takes a while for the pink haired marine to leave the warm bath and when he appears in the doorframe, you smile at him. As fidgety as he was, he was probably nervous to be with so few clothes in front of you. You wave him in, and after a small hesitation, he comes over. “It’s allright, you don’t need t be so stiff. Come on, lay down on your stomach.” 

He nods, not meeting your gaze but obeys, and you bite your lower lip to refrain from grinning to widely. “Good.” you praise. “I’m going to sit on your lower half, ok? As soon as I’m doing something you’re not comfortable with, you need to tell me, ok? No hesitation. I don’t want to... you know, cross your line. No judgement here, I know you’re sometimes pretty overwhelmed with me and that’s ok.” you wait for his nod again, before climbing on top of him, seating yourself on his bottom. 

The click of the opening from the bottles cap is loud in the silent room, and you pour some of the liquid on your hands, before you simply drop the bottle next to your knees, and start warming the liquid on your hands. You start by rubbing the only slightly scented oil into his skin over his back and shoulders, before taking some more, and then start with the massage. Corby finally starts to relax after a while under your skilled hands, and closes his eyes. It doesn’t take long until there are low moans tumbling from his lips, and he doesn’t even seem to realize he’s making those sounds. You bite your lip again, glad he is finally relaxing, but slightly pissed at yourself because of your arousal. 

Instead of pointing out he was moaning, you simply shift down, kneading his buttocks and his calves until there were no coils of tense muscles anywhere to be found. When you stop after a long while and raise your gaze to him, you find him looking at you – his pupils blown, his cheeks a dark red. You chuckle slightly, and his gaze flutters away as he drops his head back down into the cushions. “Geez... you’re... you...” he trails off, obviously not knowing what to say, and you simply pat his legs in affection.

“I told you it’s fine. We’ll go with your pace, I don’t mind. I’m fine with you simply being here. I don’t need much else, really.” You assure him, before slipping from the bed and cleaning your hands with a small towel. “Now, let’s eat something and then we can watch a movie, or sleep, whatever you prefer.” Smiling you stretch your back, making the bones and muscles pop back in place loudly. You leave the room, letting him take his time to calm down, and prepare the rest in the kitchen. Corby follows soon, a smile on his lips. 

You two eat in pleasant calmness, just exchanging some harmless flirting, compliments and deep, meaningful gazes. Watching a film in the living room, you fall asleep leaning against his side. Corby smiles, pulling you into his arms and after the film finished, he carries you back to bed. He ponders about it for a moment, before slipping in next to you. He blows a tender kiss to your forehead, pleased when that makes you unconsciously smile, before he reaches over to the stack where his clothes lie. He takes out the fine necklace and puts in on you.

He follows you into dreamland with a whispered ‘Merry Christmas’.


	8. Day 8 ~ Haruta

You smiled happily, quickly walking through the streets of the city on this autumn island at which you had arrived a few hours ago. There were so many people around, everybody seemed to be in a rush. You could imagine why – Christmas was getting close and getting presents was a difficult task. But honestly? For you, it was a task you loved.

Being in such a big crew like the Whitebeard pirates though made it impossible to get presents for each and everyone. That's why in each division, the members took part in _Secret Santa_. They drew lots, deciding like that who would buy or steal whom a present – and on Christmas Eve, they would all be placed on deck, tidily sorted so everybody could collect his present easily. Or presents. Sure, you could also buy something for other members of the crew – those you liked for example. 

Maybe you should mention that in a few divisions, the commanders preferred to hand out the presents by themselves – not all, but those of certain people. Especially your commander loved selecting a few gifts to manipulate them before handing them out. Sometimes Ace tagged along with those smaller jokes – but most of the time, the two of them focused on the presents for the other commanders.  
Your task around Christmas? Oh, easy. Your comrades loved to ask you to go and find a present for their candidate. You had a great intuition about what people might like or dislike and until now, most of the time you had picked the right things.

And yeah, right now you had to find a few more gifts for a few people. Would be kinda funny – thanks to your devil-fruit ability, others wouldn't be able to see it. You could make things invisible for others with a single touch. Sadly, it only worked on objects – you couldn't turn yourself or other people invisible. At least you didn't have to keep them with you. You could place it on the floor invisible and it would stay like that – others would fall over it, you wouldn't since you could see its silhouette.

Entering a rather big mall, a grin appeared on your lips. So many shops! So many possible gifts for your friends! You clapped your hands a few times giggling, rushing into the first store, not really caring for whom you could find something there. Well, for the next hours, you would be very busy – sure, you'd take a break sooner or later, going to eat something at one of the restaurants, but for now, there were too many shops to enter. Some clothes, some sweets, some books, some equipment, some weapons – and thanks to your bargaining skills, you got most of it cheaper than it would have been. You seemed innocent and sweet, being a rather small woman, but you shouldn't be underestimated. That's what the sellers got to know within the last hours.

~*~

“Hey, Shinjo, see what I see?” The voice of a man made you stop. For a second, you thought about turning around but you decided against it, simply moving on.  
“Yes, brother, a small shopping pirate. A nice bounty to collect.” You grimaced, rolling your eyes. Of course, they were talking about you. Yes, you were small – even a bit smaller than Haruta, not that it bothered you – and yes, shopping. You turned around grumbling, staring at them annoyed. Your gaze got deadly when they started laughing. Nobody laughed at you – and nobody interrupted you when you were shopping!  
You rushed towards them, punching the first one in his face, sending him fly and crash in the wall behind him, falling on the floor unconsciously. You wanted to kick the second one, but he reacted faster than you, grabbing you by your neck and lifting you into the air. They obviously were strong – they looked like big gorillas and were much stronger than such monkeys. You grabbed his arm, struggling to free yourself and kicking his chest like that. He didn't let go of you though – and slowly but surely you needed air. You couldn't breath like this.

You were lucky though. Before you could pass out, the bounty hunter dropped you. You fell on the floor, coughing and grimacing. As you looked up, you could see the end of a sword being pulled out from his back, the monkey falling down in front of you. The brown-haired commander grinned at you, wiping his sword clean with the clothes of the male.  
“Running into trouble again, (y/n)? You're okay?”, he wanted to know, throwing a short look at the other bounty hunter who was still unconscious.  
You pouted, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “I can't help it, I'm a great target! And I'm fine I guess.”, you muttered, rubbing your throat afterwards. It hurt a bit – and maybe you would get bruises there... nothing too bad.  
You sighed, grabbing your bag and a few invisible things, putting them back into your bag. “Thank you though, commandant.”  
He chuckled, a wide grin on his lips. “Don't mention it~ I knew you'd run into trouble. All of your shopping trips end like this.”  
Again you pouted, biting your bottom lip. “That's not true...” Thinking about it though – most of the times, you were attacked when you were buying stuff. You didn't understand why though. It was like some curse.  
“Oh yes, it is.”, he hummed, patting your shoulder. “Pouting won't change that~”  
You blinked, before you grumbled. “I knoooow! But it's sooo frustrating!”, you complained, “I've got to change something...”  
Haruta laughed, shaking his head in amusement. “If that works, sure.”

~*~

You hummed, tilting your head and eyeing your presents. Everything was fine. As long as nobody wanted you to get another gifts, you were done – and honestly? If anyone had that idea, it would get difficult. You would reach the next island around Christmas – it would be a hard task to get something so late.  
You smiled lightly, turning the gifts invisible and placing them under your bed. Nobody would find them, nobody would fall over them. Not like last year... you sighed, shaking your head. And when certain pirates came to get their presents for their partner, you'd simply turn it back visible and hand it to him. Easy, hm?~

You were about to leave your room when someone knocked at your door once – and whoever it was didn't wait. The door was opened fast, your commandant entering with a hum. You were a bit surprised – not that much as you had been a few weeks ago. Haruta didn't wait when he wanted to enter – that's the reason why you usually locked your door when you were changing your clothes. He interrupted you once already... embarrassing memories...

“You can't wait more than two seconds, hm? What is it?”, you wanted to know humming, placing your hands at your hips.   
He grinned at you, shrugging his shoulders. “The door wasn't locked, so~”, he replied, “And I've got a favour to ask! You have to help me with something!”  
You blinked, narrowing your eyebrows. You knew him well – and the look in his eyes told you he was talking about some of his pranks.  
“Let me guess... you want me to turn things invisible?” What else?  
He nodded, mischievously chuckling. “I've got some great ideas! Say, can you turn slimy things invisible as well?”  
“Eh... I never tried that, but I guess it should work...?”, you muttered, rubbing the back of your head. “I can give it a try if you want.”  
“Great! Come to my room after dinner and we get the presents done!~ But don't tell Ace! I told him you wouldn't take part in such things.”, he chuckled, seeming all innocent suddenly.  
You shook your head with a sigh, a small smile visible on your lips. “Fine, fine...”

~*~

You sat on the railing of the ship, dangling your feet and watching the Whitebeard pirates grab their gifts. You had taken yours already, finding a silver dagger in it – decorated with a ruby at its handle. Had some similarities to the treasures Jozu's division had found two weeks ago. It didn't matter – you liked it. Such a sharp thing would come in handy for you.

But your poor comrades... if you thought about a few things you had turned invisible for Haruta, you felt a bit bad. Poor, poor guys...  
It didn't take long until the first complained, others laughing because of that. They didn't stay annoyed long and soon the real party started. You preferred watching them, not wanting to drink any alcohol – you didn't tolerate much after all.

“Hey, hey, (y/n)!” You turned your head around, looking at the brown-haired man. You blinked, jumping from the railing.  
“Yes?”, you hummed, tilting your head with a questioning look. He kept grinning, handing you a present – a rather small box, wrapped in golden paper.  
You took it hesitantly, eyeing it with scepticism. “I'm not sure whether I should open it or not. I bet there's another prank.”, you murmured calmly, turning it in your fingers. “Slime? Smoke? Water?”, you added humming, making Haruta pout.  
“You helped me! Why should I prank you?”, he halfheartedly complained. You raised your eyebrows, poking his cheek with your finger.  
“Because you prank everybody, commandant. Everybody except Marco and Paps.”, you replied with a smile. There was something to tease you, you knew it – you just couldn't tell what yet. And yes, you wanted to know what – you were no party pooper.

With a hum, you opened it – there was no smoke, no water. You blinked confused. “Cookies?”, you murmured, looking at Haruta questioning. His grin didn't calm you, not the least.  
“Try them!~ Don't worry, Thatch kept an eye on me baking those.”, he chuckled, “And there's something else hidden in there~”  
Narrowing your eyebrows, you took one with chocolate. You liked sweets, yes, but you felt that Haruta was waiting for something. For a second, you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. Okay. Whatever.

You placed the cookie between your teeth, using your hand to search for whatever was hidden inside this box – you didn't expect the least what happened next.  
“Chocolates are my favourites! Let me try it too!” You couldn't refuse, you couldn't give him one – he simply stepped forward, taking a bite from the one you were eating. You didn't react, you simply stared at him coming even closer. The moment you swallowed your piece, you felt his lips on yours. Your cheeks turned red as you kissed him back hesitantly, closing your eyes. A sweet sensation – not only because of the cookie.

The moment you broke the kiss, he chuckled, taking your hand and raising it. Opening your eyes you realised he had put a bracelet around your wrist without you realising. You hummed, rubbing your cheek with your free hand. “Nice surprise...”

“Right?~ Thought this would work best with you.”, he smiled at you. “So, where's my present?”  
Now you chuckled, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Didn't you find it yet?”, you hummed, innocently smiling. He blinked, pouting for a moment – just to grin mischievously after half a minute.  
“Well, no, but I think I'll just take you~”, he hummed, grabbing your wrist and pulling you along, “That's a pretty nice present I'd say~”

Your face turned bright red, a low squeaking escaping your mouth. “H-Haruta! That's not-”  
“What you planned?”, he interrupted you, finishing your sentence at the same time, chuckling afterwards, “Poor (y/n)~ better help me find my present. Oh, and if it's not as good as you'd be, I'll take you~”  
You blinked a few times. “That's unfair, commandant!”, you complained pouting, earning an innocent smile.  
“No, it's Christmas, (y/n)! A day when wishes come true~”, he gave back, stopping and lifting you up so he could carry you. “So, first: Merry Christmas! Second: Where do we find my present?”  
You flinched, burying your head at his back. “M-Merry Christmas... and it's in your room...”  
Haruta blinked, laughing lightly. “Perfect!”


	9. Day Nine ~ Smoker

You grunted as he entered the ship, and grimaced slightly; a perfect mimik of his own expression. He looked... decidedly weird. „I don’t know if you’re just frustratingly handsome, or if you’re actually made for this.“ You growl. He looked up then, making a disgusted face.

„Neither of that please me.“ He said, and you hummed. Yeah, figures. He was as much pirate you were. Wich meant, like, not at all. Only that this was your guise. This was your life, had been for a few years now. „But you do look good. In a way.“

„Actually, I take that as an offence.“ Grimacing, you threw a stone against his chest, and his lips twitched into a small smirk for a moment, before he returned to looking grim. „Don’t be like that. We both know why I’m doing that. There’s only so much a marine can do while sticking to rules, and Kuzan knows this. Akainu knows this too. And you, of all people, know it best. So don’t gimme that look.“you chided, gentler than before. There was conflict in his gaze, one you understood painfully well. 

„Come on, I’ll hand you my report, ad yo can leave again. I know how much you despise this..“ or how much he seemed to despise you; you offered, pointing with your head towards your cabin. Your crew – a very capable crew consistin only of overly loyal woman – carefully kept watch as you lead the silverhaired man to your room. His heavy steps followed you dutifully and you kept quiet. No need to agravate him more than nesseccary. You may be stronger, and hold a higher position but it was never good tob e cross with a fellow colleague. 

Your room was, as expected, a clean chaos. Everything was in dissarray, carefully arranged to look like a typical pirate captain cabin. Some half empty bottles of alcohol lined one shelf, giving the image of slight intoxucation to whoever entered, if you started to slur. It was good when enemies underestimated you. That was part oftthe plan. You rounded your desk, pushed away the wanted posters and dug through your pile of documents until your found two rather unimpressive looking files. You opened them, only to make sure you had the right ones, nodding to yourself. „These are what you want. Hold on, I’ve got one more. The fleetadmiral requested my logbook. Apparently he wants to take a good look and reevaluate my loyalties. I think he believes I’ve actually switched sides.“ 

While your tone was kept neutral, your chest blazed with rage and the feeling of betrayal. You were a marine. You have been pushed into this disgusting role by the five elders. You had not wished for this, but you played your part. Apparently though, too well. You turned to your shelves where more piles, books and files were stored, an das you pulled out the latest log, a pile of documents slid down, scattering a bunch of papers over the worn wooden floor. It made you curse, and you kicked the papers, throwing insults at no one in particular. Only a low chuckling made you stop and look back to your guest.

„You know what? I think this role kinda suits you, in a way.“ Smoker said, and you face scrunched up to show your displeasure at his statement. 

„Carefull, buddy. I might like you, but you’re treading on dangerous waters there.“ You warned, studying his face. He seemed amused, and you didn’t know why. Smoker had never been fond of pirates, or, well, you – a marine, playing at being a pirate and, to your and his dismay, being damn good at it also. So you might have missed the joke here. 

„I was just thinking. It’s kind of admirable, doing this, when all you apparently want is too go back to being in your official job. But you know what? We’re alike. We don’t fit the norm, we don’t do well with rules and all that shit. Don’t missunderstand me – I’m against this farce. But I think you’re better suited to do this, than do what I do.“

„You mean leading the disgrace of our men? Yeah, I can kinda see where the appeal is. Like, nowhere.“ Snorting, you threw him your log, and kneeled down to pick up your scattered belongings. „Well, this life at least has one good point.“ You hummed, looking up at him, straigntening out your papers. „I can just shoot down the scum I meet, without having to justify myself in front of anyone. No taking into custody, just me, my girls, and our weapons. That makes things a whole of a lot easier.“ 

„And much more dangerous, I’d say. You realize, if you’re found guilty somehow, you’ll be on the run and get a bounty right?“

„Oh I know. But when it all comes down the drain, I know a whole of a lot of dirt on them. And… I might just know someone who might still appreciate the intel I might deliver. Someone who hast o deal with scum on a dayly basis like me.“ You gave him a pointed stare, and his lips made that twitch upwards again. 

„I might have misjudged you.“ His voice was amused, and he didn’t sound so cold anymore.

„Oh a lot of people do that, but my loyalties will always be the same – civilian lives first. Doesn’t matter from wich side I do that. I think in that, we are alike.“

„We are.“ He agrees, and his gaze follows you with intend as you stand up and place the files back on your shelf. It makes the hair in your nape stand to attention. Damn him and his intuition for knowing you had a crush on him. You scowled slightly and froze when he stood up and came to stand behind you. You felt the heat radiate from him, warming your back. Arm still raised, fingers on the back of the files you had put back, you didn’t move.

„Smoker… what exactly are you… doing?“

„Testing something.“

„Can’t you test it with distance to me?“ you realised your voice was haf an octave higher than normaly, and cursed inwardly. Damn him. Just… damn!

„Nope. This is much more… satisfying.“

„Damn you.“

„Right back at you.“ He growled, and you gave an indignant huff, turning so you could give him your best glare. But before you had even the chance to ask what he even wanted, there was a broad hand cupping your chin ,suprisingly gentle and lips pressed to yours. It was a unsuspected, but pleasant, and you gave a little surprised moan, practically melted against him and closed your eyes. You parted your lips and welcomed his tongue when he followed the invitation to a more passionate kiss, and quickly submited in the ensuing fight. 

When he drew back, you were left gasping, breathless, and deeply arroused and, over all, confused. It took you a few swallows until you had your voice back, though it sounded thin, almost quiverig. „Why… did you kiss me?“

„Because you’re infuriatingly loyal, and sexy as fuck, as well as headstrong. You combine a hell of a lot of traits I like. And traits I dislike.“

„Like being stronger than you, being stubborn, a sassmaster and a smartass?“

„Yes, exactly that.“

„I thought you disliked me.“

„I was questioning your loyalty and sanity. But I can see where your loyalty is now. You sanity, though…“

„Better don’t ponder that further. So…“ you cleared your throat, still a little thrown off. His hand was still on your chin, stroking his thumb over your cheek and it did all kinds of things to your mind. „You’re… kind of distracting me with your touch. Unless you want me to get the wrong impression of… us… and our… relationship, you better let go of me.“ You pointed out, licking your lips in a slightly nervous display, before raising your gaze to look at him. 

You thought he might be amused, but he was actually quite serious, mustering you out of his hazel eyes. „In don’t know what I want from you. Or better, this between us. But I can tell you that I do not intend to simply pretend I didn’t just kiss you. So I guess I might be attracted to you. Wanna make something out of this? Or do you think it’s a bad idea to start something with a subordinate?“ his question was sincere and straight out.

You took a moment to process this. Indeed, work relationships were allowed, though not really a thing people thought proudly of. And both of you lead a dangerous life. Anything could happen, dying was an everyday possibility. And you’d rather die with no regretts, so you showed him a smirk, and raised up on your tip toes, to kiss him one more time.

„Well, we better find out what we want from this, then. And soon, because we need tos et sail tomorrow evening. So unless we have sorted his out until then, I might just kidnapp you.“

„Marines don’t kidnapp people.“ He just grined, licking your lips slowly and making you shudder.

„Hmmm, marines don’t. Marines posing as pirates have the best excuses, though.“

„Smartass.“

„Shush. Just kiss me already and be quiet.“

„Yes ma’am.“ He chuckled, and the deep sound rumbled through where your chests pressed against each other, making you feel all sort of warm inside.


	10. Day 10 ~ Kuzan

You hummed as you walked through the snow-covered streets. It was already late, not that it bothered you. You were on your way home after a long shopping trip with your best friend Sharia, having brought her home a few minutes ago. She had been kind of worried, sure, but you didn't think you would get into trouble so easily.   
Sure, this winter island was kinda rough, there were more bandits than pirates around and almost every day somebody died – because of the cold, illness, age or – even more likely – because of too violent robberies. Yep, it was a dangerous area, but until now, you had survived without many problems.

Obviously, this evening wanted to challenge you. You were close to the house you lived in – or rather, in a small apartment just big enough for you – as you could hear footsteps approaching you. At least three men since their steps sounded heavy, making you narrow your eyebrows. Great. That was something you definitely needed this evening.  
You turned around, sending them an annoyed glare, holding your bags and purse close to your body. “What do you want?”, you wanted to know calmly, eyeing them with caution. They wore shabby coats and warm hats, making it difficult for you to see their faces – although you could imagine what kind of looks they sent you.  
“Everything you got with you.”, a cold dark voice replied. You grimaced, not really wanting to hand your bags over. Knowing this area, you never took all your money with you, but today had been special. It was Sierra's birthday, so you had invited her to a shopping trip – and of course, you had found something for yourself as well. You really didn't want to give your clothes away – but as you watched them come closer, pulling out knifes and a pistol, you flinched, stepping backwards.  
“Woman. Hand your bags over _now_ or your life will be over soon.”, he threatened, sounding aggressive by now.  
You looked down at your bag and back to the men, taking another step back. You flinched heavily as a gunshot fell, aiming at the floor in front of you.  
“Stop. One more step and I won't miss.”   
You froze, cold blood running through your body. You didn't realise it at first, but it was the fear that engulfed you. You didn't want to die yet. Especially not like that.  
Slowly, you raised your hand with the bags. You shivered, waiting for them to take the stuff, hoping they would let you go as soon as they got what they wanted. You didn't expect that someone would interfere with this robbery, especially since the streets were quiet and empty at this time.

“I hate to interrupt, but-” It was the calm slow voice of a man that was interrupted by another gunshot. Your robber had aimed at the chest of the man who had approached from behind you. You flinched squeaking as the tall man got hit, letting your bags fall on the floor – although there was no blood. For a second, he simply didn't move.

“Oh my... that was quite surprising.”, he stated, making your eyes grow wide as you turned your head around to face him. He didn't sound surprised – but he was still alive.  
“H-he's... how can he still be standing?!”, another man muttered while his comrade shot again at him – twice, trice, until he had no bullets left. And still, the black-haired seemed to be fine.  
“Now, now, that's enough.”, he spoke, stopping next to you. “Don't you think so, young lady?”  
You blinked, looking up at him and hesitantly nodding. “Y-yeah...”, you agreed cautiously, looking from him to those bandits. They were exchanging looks, before two of them attacked him with their knifes. At least, they wanted to – before they could reach him, ice spread and engulfed all three of them, turning them into ice figurines.  
Speechless, you stared at them, before you slowly turned around to face the tall man. You didn't know much about devilfruits – but it was obvious that this man had eaten one. Controlling ice – pretty nice for idiots like that.

“Thank you I guess...?”, you hesitantly murmured, rubbing the back of your head a bit nervous. He shrugged his shoulders, eyeing you curiously.  
“No problem. In such a town, a young lady shouldn't be alone outside at this time.”, he replied, taking a look around. “Isn't there anyone watching out for you villagers?”, he wanted to know, one eyebrow raised.  
You shook your head, slowly picking your bags up. Your body was still trembling, but it was okay now – although you didn't know that man, you felt safe with him around.   
“That's not the way this island works. Everybody looks out for themselves, there's no marine base or such a thing here if that's what you were thinking of.”, you explained. “It's dangerous, yeah, many bandits around, even more than pirates, but until today I didn't run into such people.”  
“Sounds like something that should be changed.”, he hummed, tilting his head lightly, “So, I'll accompany you home – if you're okay with that.”  
You blinked, raising one eyebrow as a small grin appeared on your lips. “Well, you saved me – but I still don't know you. I'm (y/n), simple villager of this town – but you're not from here, I can see it.”, you hummed, eyeing him with curiosity.  
“Huh? Don't I look like it? I'm Kuzan, marine admiral.”, he introduced himself with a smirk, making you blink in surprise.  
“Marine admiral...? Wow, that explains a lot.”, you murmured. “And yeah, I'd appreciate your company. Might be a bit safer.”, you added with a smile. With him, you wouldn't be an easy target at least. He nodded in agreement, pointing you to move on.

It was quite a nice walk. Short, but nice. You arrived at the big building safely, having talked to the admiral on the way. Time had passed quickly – and now you had to say goodbye.  
For a moment, you kept quiet, eyeing the tall man thoughtfully. “So... again, I have to thank you.”, you hummed, tilting your head lightly.  
“No need to thank me. I'm glad to help.”, he replied, rubbing the back of his head.  
“I believe you do. Uhm... well, guess it's time to say goodbye.”, you hesitantly murmured, making him raise one eyebrow.  
“But not forever I believe. Something has to change here after all.”, he mused, smirking at you, before he turned around. “Until next time, (y/n).”

~*~

You couldn't believe it. Time had passed – and that marine admiral had made possible what had seemed impossible for you. This island was safe now. Sure, there was still criminality, but now there was a big marine base in the central of the city and marine soldiers were patrolling the streets, reducing the number of robberies extremely.  
You hadn't seen Kuzan often though, only once every month or so. Sure, he was an admiral and had many responsibilities to take care of, so he couldn't visit you every day. Sadly as you had to mention. You had started liking the black-haired male a lot, getting all excited every time he was about to come by. Something that might get on the nerves of Sharia.

“(y/n)? Hey, (y/n)!” The voice of your best friend made you flinch, looking at her in surprise.  
“Eh, yeah? What is it?” You hadn't realised that she had asked you something, pouting because of your reaction.  
“Are you daydreaming about your beloved admiral again? I asked you which shop we should visit next.”, she muttered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
“Uhm... maybe...?”, you admitted sheepishly, a small grin on your lips. “And I'd like to visit that shop over there. I still need Christmas presents...”, you added grimacing, making her raise one eyebrow.

“I thought you found something for your parents already? Or is it for _him_?” Her sceptical gaze changed into a knowing one, a grin appearing on her lips. She didn't need an answer as your cheeks got red, making her chuckle. “How about a simple kiss this time? How long do you know him already? And for how long didn't you say something about liking him? The right answer is: too long! It has been almost a year!”, she continued as you kept quiet.  
Now you blinked, staring at her bewildered. “Are you crazy? I can't-”  
“Oh yes, you can – and you should. What are you afraid of? He wouldn't visit you as often as he does if he didn't like you.”, she interrupted you, her head lightly tilted. “No risk, no reward, you know?”  
“I know that...”, you muttered, taking a deep breath. “Fine, fine... but I still want to go to that shop! Just... in case.”, you added vigorously.  
She sighed, shaking her head. “You're incurable...”

~*~

You were impatient. A few days ago, you had received a message from him, telling you that he would visit you in around a week. Maybe, just maybe, he would be here soon – it was Christmas after all. You wanted to see him! Wanted to thank him – just for everything he had done until now.  
You kept walking around in your apartment like a nervous animal in its cage. You wouldn't be able to sleep this night if it went on like that. You stopped, taking a few deep breaths. You should stay calm. There was no guarantee that he would arrive today, right?

You nodded, entering the kitchen, planing to cook something. Just as you were about to open the fridge, there was a knock at the door. You froze, your heartbeat starting to grow rapidly. Could it be...?  
You turned around, heading to the wooden door and opening it hesitantly, but full of expectations. A wide grin appeared on your lips as you saw him, standing in front of you. Sure, you had to look up at him, but it didn't bother you.

“Kuzan! I'm glad to see you!”, you almost chimed, stepping to him and hugging him. He chuckled deeply, placing his arms around your waist.  
“Same goes for me. Say, shouldn't you not only hug me, huh?”, he wanted to know, sounding a bit teasing. You blinked confused.  
“Hm? What are you-” You didn't finish the question as he pointed at your door, making you look at it and freeze for a second. A mistletoe. A fucking mistletoe. You hadn't placed it there, so how...? Your cheeks turned red as you stared at him.  
“I, uhm, ehm...”, you started to stutter, earning an amused, but gentle smile.  
“What is it? Got cold feet?”

You quickly shook your head, harrumphing afterwards. “No, no, I'm just... surprised. I didn't place it there.”, you explained. “But uhm, I've got no problem in following the tradition behind it.”, you quickly added, making your blush darken.  
The black-haired chuckled, before he leaned forward, placing his lips on yours, engulfing you in a soft kiss. You squeaked mentally, placing your arms around him as you separated.  
“So, (y/n)... are you gonna invite me inside now?”, he hummed. You flinched once more, quickly nodding.

“Of course! And although I didn't find a good Christmas gift for you, I want to say Merry Christmas!”, you agreed with an insecure smile.  
“Oh, I bet I know something I'd take as a present instead...” His undertone made you shiver. The blush didn't disappear yet and you highly doubted it would. You had gotten the hint, grinning awkwardly at him.  
“Yeah...? I've got an idea, but what...”   
Before you could finish your sentence, your lips were sealed once again. “Shh. You'll see what I mean. I haven't got a good present either, so...”, he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.  
“F-fine!”, you exclaimed, taking a step back, making it possible for him to follow you.  
“Ah, I almost forgot...”, Kuzan blinked, smiling at you. “Merry Christmas.”

~*~

The moment the door closed, a low sigh could be heard in the corridor. Sharia got on her feet, stretching, before she shook her head. “Was about time...”, she muttered, eyeing the door to your apartment. She had been waiting on the stair leading upstairs since she had seen the admiral at the harbour. The mistletoe had been a great idea – although you probably wouldn't realise that it had been her doing.  
She passed the door, now grinning and humming a quiet: “Yeah, Merry Christmas to both of you. Don't destroy the bed.”, before she left the house.


	11. Day Eleven ~ Lucci

You sighed. This would truly be a very cold and lonely Christmas.  
With your boyfriend not showing up most of the year, you should really be used to being alone by now, but you never lost the hope of him still showing up on your doorstep. Staring out of the window, sitting on its sill, curled in a blanket to shield your thin frame from the cold, you longed for him to be there.

Mystery boyfriend indeed. You had only seen him once, for a very short moment – when you had been gifted to him, 5 years ago. On some days you still felt like a slave, even though he had set you free not even a month later. 

After he had made sure you were officially a free human being, of course. At first, you had not understood. You had been a slave for a long time, being free was not something your thoughts had been able to grasp. Not to mention a fully furnished small house on an island with a marine base, or Jean who was hired to care for you, to make sure you’d regain a normal live. 

Shortly after, the gifts had started. At first you had been... afraid. Still in the mindset of a slave, you had been confused, and afraid, had thought he had... wanted something from you, had thought he wanted you to offer yourself to him. That he would, one night, just enter the house he had given to you and... well; take what he wanted. 

It had taken Jean the better half of a whole year to make you understand that, no, Lucci wanted none of that. If anything, he was courting you. Courting you like a woman, a lady should be courted in his opinion. That had left you even more confused. 

Two years later, you had finally accepted you were not a slave anymore. You were even able to leave the house from time to time without Jean by your side to reassure you that it was alright to make mistakes, and not to abide by random peoples wishes. Another year later, you even had found a job, and owned a cat. A beautiful, rather small kitten; a former stray you had taken in and was now a rather proud little shit, but you loved her nonetheless. 

At some point, the letters had started. Just short, rather curt notices, nothing more than questions of your wellbeing or offers to get something you wanted. It took a lot of coaxing on your part to get longer letters from him, that were always delivered by Hattori, his pigeon. Every letter made you smile, every new thing you learned about him made your heart flutter. On Jeans encouragement you even send him a photo of yourself. It had been an embarrassing day, and you had only shyly glanced at the camera, but if his following letter was anything to go by, he had appreciated it. 

You hadn’t gotten a photo of him, but that was ok. You had forgotten how he looked, and you hadn’t once heard his voice, but that was ok. It didn’t matter. You fell in love with him either way. Appearances didn’t matter to you at this point. 

Another sigh left your lips, and you pressed your forehead against the cold glass of the window, watching the Garden in front of your house. You had finally found the courage to express your wish for his presence. You knew he was busy – knew he was working for the higher ups. That he lead a dangerous life with fighting and irregular time for himself. But still, you would give anything at this point if it meant he would be here with you. You had never felt a longing like this before in your life.

****  
You must have fallen asleep there. You only noticed as warm and strong hands wrapped around your frame, careful not to startle you. You were far from really awake, and gave a small sound of disapproval. “ Jean...? Don’t... I wanna stay there so.... see... Lucci comes home..” your tongue was still heavy and your eyelids felt like lead. A yawn escaped you, and you sighed, content to feel the warmth of another body.

The softness of the mattress felt like heaven after the unforgiving windowsill, but you were starting to register some things. First of all, Jean was rather chatty, but hadn’t said anything yet, not even to scold you. Second, while Jean was by far a prude, he refrained from touching you any more than necessary; he probably would have woken you up, instead of carrying you. And lastly; he smelled different. 

You gave a small questioning noise, blinking your eyes open as the arms left your frame and pulled back. Everything happened deliberately slow, probably with the intention to keep you asleep. Too bad you had no intention to leave the riddle of this stranger unsolved. You grabbed his sleeve before he could fully retreat from you, and he paused. You pushed yourself up on one arm, raising your head to look up. 

What greeted you made you flinch slightly – a hard, cold gaze, dark eyes in a handsome face. You stayed silent, only staring at him for a long moment, only realising that you had been staring as he pried your fingers from his sleeve gently. His touch made you flinch once more because his fingers were cold. 

Your reaction caused him to frown in worry, and you wondered why. Until you realised that flinching probably send rather obvious signals. You pulled your lower lip between your teeth, nibbling at it, unsure of what to do, especially since he pulled back his fingers. It made you smile, because he was very cautious. 

“Let me see – Christmas Eve is almost over... There is a very handsome, but silent stranger in my house that is protected at all time.” You mused, catching his gaze. It wasn’t cold, that had been a very, very wrong observation. It was searching, assessing. “Jean is nice and all, but not nice enough to carry me to bed, or to keep silent when I’m still half asleep. I don’t have other male friends or company who would dare show up at this time of the day, and I only invited one person here otherwise.” You offered your thoughts.

There was an amused and interested glimmer in his dark eyes, and your smile widened. “Oh who could this be, who could this be~” you chuckled, letting go of his sleeve in favour of curling your hand around his wrist. It drew his gaze instantly, and made your heart flutter in joy when a small smile tugged at his lips. 

“That leaves only two options – a really handsome burglar who chose to put the house owner to bed, instead to rob her, or.... it’s my mystery boyfriend who finally had time to come see me.” You grinned in triumph as another smile seemed to tug at his lips. Yes, maybe it was a little silly, but you counted it as a definite win. 

“Come to bed, your skin is icy. You must be freezing.” you tugged gently on his wrist. Considering he was a fighter, he could probably resist with the smallest of efforts, but instead he returned his gaze to your eyes, searching. He probably was a little unsure whether this was really ok for you, but you had meant the offer. So he slowly nodded, pulled of his shirt and belt, before hesitating again. Smiling, you rolled to the other side, making more space for him and pat the mattress next to you. Silently, without a word or making a sound, he slipped into bed next to you. He left you enough space so your bodies wouldn’t touch, but you would have none of that. 

You crawled up to him, tentatively placing a hand on his naked stomach, only hesitating for a short moment, until you placed your whole length against him, your head resting on his chest. His heart beat was strong, but definitely a bit faster than it should be were he as calm as he seemed to be. It made you smile, and you tugged the blanket up to cover both of you. 

“Thank you, for being here, Lucci.” You hummed, closing your eyes again. It stayed silent for a very long time, and only when you were drifting asleep again, he seemed to relax and wrap an arm around you, making you hum in content. 

This was what you wanted, more than his gifts, more than his letters – just him by your side. This years Christmas was perfect.


	12. Day 12 ~ Sabo

A low sigh left your lips as you stared outside, watching the snow fall and cover the stony ground. It was calm outside – not surprising, the people were all working inside this hideout. This island seemed abandoned, just perfect for the Revolutionary Army. Who would even expect to meet them here? You certainly not. 

Well, to be honest, you didn't expect anything. You ended up here because of a coincidence. Back then – around three years ago probably – you had managed to escape your owners, getting rid of your explosive neck ring thanks to your devil-fruit ability which also allowed you to get away – and finally, you landed here. You had been so relieved to be free – and suddenly, an extreme tall man stood in front of you. By now, you knew that Bartholomew Kuma was a very calm member of this Army – but back then, you had been so shocked that you used your devil-fruit power unconsciously, making the whole situation worse. You could make yourself and other things smaller – and when somebody surprised you, it wasn't seldom that you shrank your own body, turning yourself into some dwarf. Sometimes you turned others small, but only if they touched you.

Well, being as small as you had been back there had made Kuma even scarier for you. Stumbling backwards, you had been grabbed by another weird man – you should rather call him Okama, yeah – and brought inside. Damn, you had been so terrified, but luckily, it turned out fine. It was easy to tell that you had been a slave if you looked at your back – and thanks to your behaviour, it had been obvious that you haven't been free for a long time. You had been – and still were – calm and undeniably shy.

You helped them out, just like a handmaid. You assisted them with different, mostly smaller tasks like errands, cleaning and similar things. Well, and now that Christmas got closer, you were one of those who would decorate the hideout and prepare the Christmas Eve. You liked that time of the year – a peaceful festivity. Well, not here, but in principle.

A beautiful chirping made you smile as you watched the blackbird land in front of you, tilting his head and eyeing you curiously. You giggled lightly, opening your hand, letting him jump onto it. This little blackbird had saved you, letting you fly away on it. Your devil-fruit ability had come in handy, making you able to shrink yourself without shrinking that damn neck-ring (yes, you had lost your clothes as well, forcing you to turn back, put clothes on and try shrinking you with clothes again) – and thanks to this bird, you had escaped. Since you had always fed birds when your owners hadn't been home, they had become your friends – more or less.

“Hey, (y/n).” You jumped startled, shrinking a few centimetres while you turned around quickly. The small bird complained, landing on your head.  
“Yes, Sabo?”, you murmured, a slight blush on your face. He smirked, shaking his head in amusement.  
“Koala is looking for you. She needs your help decorating the meeting room.”, he explained, watching how you took back your original size. The smaller you got, the more surprised or scared you had been – and if someone else got smaller, like he did a few times already, then that person touched and surprised you... It was kinda funny. You were often more embarrassed than the shrunk person.  
“Okay... better go and help her. Thanks for telling me.”, you hummed, tilting your head a bit, before you left the room, closing the window absentminded. You knew how impatient that woman could get – she was like the exact opposite of you and yet, the two of you came along pretty well. Often, she was the one talking to others for you – depending on the situation.  
The blond male simply nodded, leaving this room as well.

~*~

“That looks great! I can't wait to see the faces of our comrades when they enter this room at Christmas!”, Koala chimed, clapping her hands in amusement. This room was usually used for – as the name said – meetings. Discussions about longer missions for example – but since Christmas was close, Koala convinced Dragon to use this room for a Christmas celebration.   
The chairs and tables had been moved at the walls, the floor was filled with blankets and pillows – except for the area with the Christmas tree. Next to it was a big table where food and drinks would be available – and under the tree, the presents would be placed. You and Koala had decorated this whole room – and you would probably decorate the corridors as well since Koala was in a Christmas fever.  
You smiled shyly, nodding in agreement. “It's beautiful indeed. So, what is planned next?”  
She chuckled, patting your shoulder. “Great you ask! Let's go in the basement! I've seen some unused decoration flying around there!”

~*~

“You know, cookies aren't supposed to be black?”, you hesitantly murmured, making Koala pout.  
“It was my first try, okay?! I forgot the oven and...”, she complained, muttering at the end, making you sigh quietly.  
“I can see it... well, no problem. We've got enough ingredients to make new...”, you mused, throwing the burnt cookies away. That were things that could happen and you weren't punished for – not like back with those aristocrats...   
You grimaced, shaking your head quickly as you opened one of the closets to grab flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. That would work just nicely, you knew it.   
“Hey, (y/n)! How about we decorate them consistent with our members? Some pink, some blue, some orange, some dark green...!”, Koala suggested as you were kneading the dough. You paused for a second blinking, before you nodded.  
“Not bad. We can take that into account.”, you hummed agreeing, “I bet we have enough decoration that suit our members.”  
“Wouldn't surprise me!”

~*~

So loud... well, that wasn't surprising with so many people in one room. They were only talking with another, but it was still pretty noisy. And to be honest, there were too many people for your liking. Kind of the reason why you were sitting on the rather tall wardrobe with the size of around twelve centimetres. People didn't see you, you didn't even know whether they would recognise your presence or not – you didn't really think they would miss you. 

Your blackbird was sitting on a garland close-by, watching you. Poor thing. It probably didn't like this situation neither. You hummed, stretching one hand towards it. It chirped, flying over and landing next to you. You leaned against it, giggling lowly. “I've got some nuts and berries for you in my room. You'll get them later~”, you mused, throwing a look down to watch the revolutionaries. Ivankov was entertaining most of them – with his usual humour. You smirked, looking at Koala who was obviously searching something or somebody. She stopped to talk to Sabo, a mixture of upset and offended. They were discussing something – and the next moment, she placed her hands at her hips. “Hey guys!”, she started to talk loudly, almost screaming, “Has anyone seen our cute little dwarf?!”

You flinched grimacing, a red dust covering your cheeks. Oh no, she was looking for you... and now, almost everybody seemed to search you. They knew directly who the little dwarf was – nobody in this hideout had abilities that could be compared to yours, but that they would immediately react like that... You didn't expect it.

You hesitated, getting up and stopping at the edge of the wardrobe. Maybe you would just take the same way you had taken to get up there – the Christmas tree. With a deep sigh, you jumped on one of the branches, for a second struggling to keep your balance. And now, from one branch to the next, making the glitter balls, wooden figurines and one or two bells sway. You had reached about the half of the tree as someone called your name, making you look up. Sabo was grinning at you, offering you a hand. With a hum, you climbed on it, looking up at him sheepishly. The blush on your face was still there, but probably couldn't be seen because of your size.

“How dare you hide today, (y/n)?”, he wanted to know amused, shaking his head. “And it might be easier if you just-”  
“(y/n)!”, the indignant voice of Koala interrupted him. The brown-haired woman stopped next to him, grabbing you and holding you up in front of her face. “How could you?! We were looking for you! You've got to participate! We're all celebrating today!”, she exclaimed. Your face burned as you stared at the ground – if you hadn't been as small as you currently were, you'd probably shrink even more.  
You listened to her complaints, keeping quiet all the time. To be honest, you were about to cry because you felt bad. You tiny body was shaking, standing on her palm.  
“Say something now, will you?” You flinched because of her voice, squeaking a: “Sorry!” just loud enough for her to hear it, before you hastily turned around and jumped on the floor, running away. You dodged other people, leaving the room. You simply didn't feel comfortable in such situations, yeah, almost scared...!

You stopped as you arrived at the entrance of the hideout, stepping outside without another thought, taking a deep breath. It was cold – but you liked it. It calmed you down, made you relax. You closed your eyes for a second, letting the snowflakes land on your head – since you were so small, you got wet rather quickly. Not that it really bothered you.  
You sniffed, rubbing your eyes to get rid of those lurking tears, before you jumped onto a smaller stones, almost disappearing in the snow on it. Such a nice thing...

“(y/n)?” You could hear Sabo's voice, turning your head around. You watched him – and surprisingly, it didn't take long until he found you. He stepped towards you, kneeling down in front of you. “Hey, are you okay? You'll catch a cold if you stay here too long.”, he calmly stated, obviously worried.

You starred at him, before you jumped onto his shoulder, still keeping quiet. He sighed, looking at you with narrowed eyebrows. He got up, entering the hideout, heading for your room. “Keeping quiet won't help. We're sorry, okay? Koala didn't mean to chase you away...”, he explained.  
“I... I know...”, you muttered shyly, lowering your head, “I just... I'm just scared when I'm surrounded by too many people. I wasn't taken into town often... and every time I was, I got distracted.”, you explained, biting your bottom lip. “And each time I got distracted, I felt pain at my back. A whiplash...” Thinking about it made it feel like you were back in time, together with your owners. They neither had been the worst nor the nicest. It just had been awful.   
Sabo nodded understanding. “Guess Koala's bleating made it only worse.”, he murmured, patting your small head gently, “I'll bring you to your room, okay?” You nodded slowly, leaning against his neck.

~*~

It didn't take long until you arrived at your room, entering it. You blinked in confusion as you looked at your bed, finding a present on it. “What? Why?”, you murmured, earning a chuckle from the blond man. He placed you on top of the box, sitting down on the bed next to it.

“I figured it would be better to place your present here instead of under the tree.”, he explained with a smile, making you blink and stare at him. Slowly, you grew back to your original size, having jumped next to the gift before.  
“For me? Really?”, you murmured hesitantly, grabbing it cautiously.  
“Of course. I bet Koala has one for you as well.”, he hummed, smiling at you amused, “Come on, open it as long as it is quiet.”  
“...quiet?”, you repeated, even more confused now. You blinked a few more times, before you finally opened the gift slowly, eyes growing wide as you could see what's inside. It was a pair of very small rabbits who were sleeping. You didn't even realise that a big cage for them was hidden under some blanket next to you wardrobe. You stared at them, before you squeaked.

“They're so cute!”, you chimed, hugging the blond man more energetic than usual, blushing as you realised that you were too close to him now. You let go of him immediately, bringing some distance between him and you.  
Sabo chuckled, poking your red cheek. “Just like you~” You opened your mouth to say something, but closed it right away, not finding suitable words.

“...thank you, Sabo... and merry Christmas...”, you timidly murmured, looking back to those small animals. The revolutionary simply smiled, watching you stroke one of them cautiously.  
“Merry Christmas, (y/n).”


	13. Day Thirteen ~ Bartolomeo

Christmas Day 13~ Bartolomeo

Why did he have to be so stupid? You watched the green haired thug-turned-pirate prowl around, sighing to yourself. 

And why did you have to fall for him, of all people? It was just so... depressing to watch. Bartolomeo and his men were all pretty down, because none of them had the courage to call their worshipped Strawhat and wish him a merry christmas – but all of them wanted to hear his voice. 

You groaned as your green haired boyfriend made a belly flop don onto the deck, right into the thick blanket of snow covering the floor. His man copied that behaviour and you were glad they had docked, because like in everything they did, they were stupid and unprofessional, and so nobody was behind the stirring wheel – a common occurrence. The dumb guys would freeze to death if they didn’t get in soon to get warmed up. 

“ Ok that’s it. You guys need a woman in your team, no ‘but’s. I’m officially a crewman from now on. Anyone got a problem with that?”

“Actually-“

“GOOD, no objections! That’s how I like it!” totally ignoring the way Meo had tried to intervene, you clapped your hands once. “Since that’s taken care of, I’m promoting myself to be the ships doctor. Might as well make myself useful. And just so you know, a ships doctor has the right to over-rule the captain if she sees it fit for their health. That being said, get your pitiful asses back in. No talking back here.” 

Groaning and muttered protests reached your eras, as they all picked themselves up slowly, brushing off the snow. Nobody had the confidence to do anything against you, and Meo walked by you with a pout on his lips, muttering under his breath. In a way, this display was a little unnerving – these guys were meant to be frightening pirates, yet they simply obeyed someone who promoted herself and bossed around the boss n an everyday basis. You sighed.

“Meo, go and make your men some tea and hot chocolate. I’m going home to pick up some stuff. When I’m back, you better all sit in the common room, dry and draped in blankets.” Since he gave no acknowledgement to your words, you flung your hand towards him, pulling his ear, until he gasped out a “Yes Ma’am, sorry Ma’am, will do, Ma’am!”

______________

When you came back to the ship some time later, throwing your douffle bag into the sleeping quarters and had picked out a room to serve as the ‘sick bay’, and thrown your medical equipment and supplies in there, you gave a cheery laugh at the snail sitting on your shoulder. “You know, I should probably be a little concerned, yeah, but whatever. I just really hope it will be ok. Well, as far as a pirate life with idiots can be ok~” you hummed.

“Oh you’d be surprised. I’m surrounded by idiots, and most of the time I just want to punch them, scream at them or haul their sorry asses over deck. They’re loud, and brash and they keep spending money on useless stuff, not to mention Luffy is a total glutton!” a female voice replied, and the snail mimicked a disgusted frown. You chuckled as you walked straight into the common room. As commanded, all of them were sitting huddled together, curled up in blankets with tea, coffee or hot chocolate between their hands. Two of them had a running nose, but that was alright. But, it’s also been one of the best times of my life, and I wouldn’t trade any of it for a simple lifestyle.” The voice continued, and the guys glanced up at you. 

“Good. I hope I will be able to say that in some time too. For now, can you go get me your captain?” you questioned, and your gaze fell to Bartolomeo. That fearsome man, with the epithet of ‘The Cannibal’, hunched over in a thick, fluffy blanket and wide eyes. Your lips curled into a mischievous grin.

“Oh sure! Just a moment. LUFFYYYYYYYYY!!!” the voice, also actually called Nami and the navigator of the Strawhat-crew, had a VERY loud voice, and while you didn’t even flinch, the heads of the rest of the men shot up, disbelieve written all over their faces. You giggled. “Hold on, that useless airhead is running from me again.” Nami sighed, before drawing another breath, shouting his name at the top of her lungs. “ LUFFY! SNAIL-PHONE FOR YOU!!!!” 

This time it took only seconds until there was a different noise, and you laughed at the banter in the background.

“Goddamn it, Luffy! You need to listen when I call you!”

“Eeeh? But Nami, you always end up scolding me! You’re mean!”

“I wouldn’t need to be mean if you’d just listen!”

“That doesn’t even make any sense!”

“It does! Ugh, why do you have to be so stupid!”

“Rude! I’m not stupid! You’re stupid!”

The sound of something –or someone?- being hit echoed a few times, and Luffy bemoaned Nami’s violence, probably nursing some bumbs on his head. You just thought he deserved them. “Anyways, are you gonna answer or not?”

“Oh yeah! I forgott!” the snails face changed into a bright and cheerfull grin. “Here’s Luffy! The man who’s gonna be Pirate-King! Who are you?”

You giggled. “Ah, yes. (y/n) speaking, a member of Barto Club. You know, the guy you met in Dressrosa? They, I mean, we are in a friendly alliance with you.”

“Uhm....? Nami?” some whispering followed, apparently Nami had to explain who they were. “Oooooooh! Yeah, them!” he said, but his laugh was loud and boisterous, and you had a slight feeling he had no idea who was calling. “So, what did you want?”

“Oh nothing much. You know, Just wanted to wish you a merry christmas and stuff. Mind wishing these idiots the same?” 

“Thanks! And sure! Merry Christmas guys!” he shouted, laughing happily. Some of the man started to outright cry – Bartolomeo right ahead – and others barely blurted out something that could be identified as a ‘merry christmas’ in return. “Shishishishi! You guys are weird! Have a fun day!” with that he was gone again. 

“Well, that’s it. Thank you for your help, Nami. If you ever need someone to talk, just call me~” you offered to the snail, which sported a gentle smile after a second.

“Will do. Merry christmas (y/n)~ Bye~”

“Merry Christmas, bye~” with a low ‘Ca-cha’, the line went dead, and the snail closed it’s eyes in relaxation. 

The men were still crying waterfalls of joy, and you sighed fondly. “This is my gift for you. I’m not spending my money on you guys. This will have to suffice.” You smile.

Bartolomeo jumped up, letting the blanket fall to the floor, and stormed towards you. Still utterly crying and sobbing, he pulled you into a bone-crushing hug. “ Thank you, (y/n), Thank you! You are the best, Dabe!” He bubbled, face buried against your neck. You grimaced. Tears and snot, yay. Ugh, better not think about it. You patted his back awkwardly, finding yourself hugged from each direction after that, and chorus of cried ‘thank you!’s and ‘you’re the best!’ rained down n you. 

A laugh bubbled out of you, and you sighed, content in the middle of this tumult. Especially when Meo calmed down again, and you felt his lips ghost a small kiss over your skin and his sharp teeth give the gentlest nip on your skin. It was all you needed to know he was happy.

And a happy lover made you happy. You answered his whispered ‘I Love you, Dabe’ against you skin with a gentle pat on his back and a content smile on your lips.

He was an idiot, but at least he was your idiot.


	14. Day 14 ~ Zoro

So, why again were you living on this island? It was icy, cold and most of the time foggy or windy. There were so many dark and cold days that you were enjoying every day with a little bit sunshine. Sometimes, you really wanted to move, but you couldn't. You had to take care of your grandmother since she had taken care of you for so many years. Since your parents died over ten years ago, she was the one to watch over you. You couldn't leave her.

You sighed deeply, shouldering your bag. You were lucky it wasn't as stormy as it usually was around this time of the year, so you could easily grab the groceries you needed. Christmas was close – but you wouldn't celebrate it really. Of course, your grandma and you would eat dinner together, exchange presents, but nothing more. You were a very small family after all. You didn't know whether you had other relatives or not – until now, you had never met anyone except for your parents and grandparents. Your grandpa died four years ago, so it was only grandma and you left. Well, it was fine – the only thing going on your nerves was the weather. You had lived on a warm spring island with your parents and now... a stormy cold winter island.

“You back already, Squirrel?” The voice of your grandma made you look up. You stopped putting the groceries away and sighed, eyeing her cautiously.  
“Yes, I think I found everything.”, you replied calmly, ignoring that she wouldn't stop using that nickname for you. At least you knew why she called you like that – as a young girl, you had loved climbing on trees. Every time she had visited you, she had went on a walk with you – and you had climbed on everything, from small benches to walls, trees and more. That was the reason she still called you like that. Squirrel...

“Great, great. I'll prepare everything for Christmas.”, she hummed, a smile on her dry lips. You watched her, tilting your head lightly. “I'll just clean up. Do you need help with something?”, you wanted to know, getting up and stretching yourself.  
“Nah, I'm fine. I may be old, but I still can make dinner for us two ladies.”, she chuckled, waving at you, “Enjoy yourself. You should meet with friends or make new ones. You're at home so often, you don't even have a boyfriend.”, she mused, shaking her head.  
“I don't need one.”, you hummed, one eyebrow raised.  
“Don't say that. You know, when I had been your age, I met your grandfather.”, she started talking, a happy smile on her face, “We've experienced so much together. All over the Grandline...”

And there it was again... Your parents had always told you not to listen to her babbling. To those stories about this great sea she was inventing, telling you it was only her fantasy – but now with your parents gone and all those little treasures you found in her house, you started believing that it was true. That your grandparents had travelled across the sea for real.  
“Which story now?”, you smirked, shaking your head, “I've heard so many already, grandma.”  
“Are you tired of it?” Her question made you blink, humming lowly. “Not yet~”

~*~

Of course there had been something you had forgotten. Or rather, your grandmother didn't tell you yesterday, so now, at Christmas day, you had to try and get the missing resources. Well, you managed to get them already – but you had to get back. The wind was getting stronger, snow was already falling and it was getting undeniably stormy. It was awful and a good reason to hurry.

You were passing the park, stopping as you could see the silhouette of a man sleeping on a bench. Raising one eyebrow, you stepped closer, looking at him sceptically. “Such foolishness.”, you huffed, kicking the bench once. “Hey, wake up!”, you added, eyebrows narrowed in annoyance. You could see the green-haired snort in his sleep, but he didn't wake up. Like that, he would turn into an ice-figurine in an hour or so. How could somebody be so reckless and sleep at a place like that?! You grumbled lowly, putting your bag down. Fine. You'd try something different – and if this didn't wake him up, you'd take care of him. Honestly, you wouldn't let someone freeze to death like this. 

~*~

“Squirrel? Who's that?” Your grandmother had opened the door as you kicked it, blinking in confusion as she saw you carrying a man on your back, your bag dangling at your arm. She took a step aside, making it possible for you to enter, shivering a bit.  
“I'm not quite sure.”, you replied honestly, turning your head around to look at him once more, grimacing a bit as you realised he was drooling on your shoulder. “Urg...”, you muttered, throwing him onto the couch in the living room. Now that it wasn't that dark anymore, you could see him better – and you recognised him. You hit your palm against your face, huffing lightly.

“A pirate. Of course a pirate is as careless as that...”, you grumbled, throwing a short look at your confused grandmother. Her confusion soon turned into amusement as she shook her head with a smile, turning around.  
“I'll finish dinner. You got everything, right?”, she wanted to know, grabbing your bag. You raised one eyebrow, but nodded right away. You watched her leave, before you turned to the green-haired. A famous pirate – or should you rather say infamous? Both was kinda suiting. Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter.

You rubbed your sleeves to calm down, taking a deep breath. Fine. You had taken a pirate home. Such a careless thing... You should at least make sure nothing would happen – your grandma didn't deserve trouble at Christmas.  
Eyeing his swords, you hesitated for a second, before you grabbed them – but you couldn't take them away as another hand grabbed yours, a strong grip. You blinked, narrowing your eyebrows right after that.

“Sure. Of course! Now you're waking up!”, you complained as he stared at you, still a bit sleepy, but attentively.  
“Huh?”, he simply huffed, sitting up to look around in confusion, “Where am I?”  
His question made you growl. “In my grandmother's house. Don't you dare cause any trouble for her.”, you threatened, placing one hand at your hip.  
“What? Hey, don't order me around. I don't even know you!”, he huffed, eyebrows narrowed.  
“I do what I want! I'm (y/n) and I saved your damn ass out there! You'd be dead due to this storm by now!”, you nagged, pointing outside. “How can sleep on a bench when a snow storm is close?!”  
“I lost my way, so I took a break.”, he replied, rubbing the back of his head, grimacing as well, “And my friends would have found me, so-”  
“Sure, sure. I bet your friends love searching you when they can't see anything!”, you interrupted him, making him grumble.  
“You-”

“Hey, hey, calm down now, will you? It's Christmas, you shouldn't be fighting at a time like this.” You looked up as your grandma entered, a smile on her lips.  
“Dinner's ready. You can come and join us, green-head.”  
“Yes, she's talking to you, Zoro.”, you added because of his irritated look, earning a growl.  
“I've got to go back to my crew. I can't-”  
“Yes, you can. It's impossible to go far in this weather, so you better stick with us for now.” Your grandmother smiled – a dangerous sweet smile. Complaining wouldn't work, you could tell.  
“But-” And there you go. Zoro was trying it...   
The moment he opened his mouth, she had grabbed his cheek, pulling it. “No buts. You'll join us.”  
The green-haired pirate grimaced, but sighed, giving in and following her into the kitchen. You watched them, shaking your head, before you followed them as well.

~*~

Dinner was... okay. Weird, but okay. Your grandmother had been talking most of the time, so you could eat without a problem. You kept watching that pirate though who seemed annoyed the whole time. Well, you couldn't blame him. He didn't like his situation, that was obvious.  
You moved into the living room – which was, as you didn't mention yet, nicely decorated with Christmas tree and everything. Your grandmother had told the two of you to go on since she had to get something first.

Now you were sitting on the couch, rubbing your sleeve as you eyed the green-haired.  
“Your grandmother's kind of... scary.”, he muttered, making you smirk amused.  
“She is? Not as long as you act her way.”, you hummed, “After all, she has been on the Grandline~”, you added chuckling. You believed it, yes.   
“Huh? For real?”  
“Of course~ I've got maaany stories to tell.”, she replied with a smile, throwing a bottle at him. Zoro had no problems catching it, raising his eyebrows in confusion.  
“I thought a pirate might like a bottle of Sake~ Take it as a Christmas gift.”, she explained with a hum.  
“That's nice, thanks.”, he muttered – and the next moment, he already opened the bottle, taking a big pull, “Not bad, this one.”  
“I bet you would have said that even if it's a bad one.”, you muttered tiredly, looking at the small treasure chest your grandmother handed you. Zoro simply grinned, not saying a thing as he kept drinking the sake. 

“Open it while I'll get us something to drink as well.”, the elderly lady explained, leaving the room. You sighed, a small smile on your lips as you carefully opened the chest. You were kinda surprised you were able to open it – last year, she had given you a bigger chest that was closed and couldn't be opened without the right key. And yes, she had kept the key – kinda teasing.  
Inside was a golden necklace with medallion – as well as a key. You blinked in confusion, taking both things. Could it be the key for the chest from last year? Putting the necklace on, you hummed, just before your grandma entered the room again. “Like it? Merry Christmas, Squirrel.”  
“Yes, yes I like it. Merry Christmas, grandma. I placed your gift under the tree.”, you explained with a smile, getting up with a hum.  
“I'll be right back.”, you murmured, making a knowing smile appear on her face, before she nodded. You left, heading for your room, searching the treasure chest you had safely placed hidden in your wardrobe.

And you were confused. The gift from last year were two silver stilettos – long knives similar to daggers, but longer and thinner. Thinking about the past years, you narrowed your eyebrows. Your grandpa had trained you although your parents hadn't been fond of it – you had almost forgotten it. What exactly did your grandma want to tell you? You shivered lightly, turning your head around to stare at the door. Hopefully, she didn't plan something while you were here...

~*~

“I can't believe it! I told you to go right! Not left!”, you complained, shaking your head in annoyance. That pirate really was an idiot – and yet, it seemed to annoy him more than you. You huffed, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. At first, it didn't matter for you whether he would arrive at the harbour or not, but since your grandmother suggested leading him there, you couldn't help but do it.

“Hey, I can go by myself!”, he grumbled, earning another huff from you.  
“I see that you can't find your way, so I'll make sure you end where you belong!”  
It was bitching and moaning from both sides the whole time. Even when you arrived at the harbour, you didn't stop discussing.

“Oi, Marimo! You can't be so rude to a lady!” It was another man's voice that made both of you stop. You turned your hear around to stare at a blond man – Black-leg Sanji, member of the Strawhats, just like Zoro – who was running towards you. You grimaced immediately.  
“Oh, shut up!”, Zoro and you had yelled simultaneously, pausing right afterwards, making the captain of the crew laugh. You had been close to their ship, so it wasn't surprising that they had been able to see and hear you.

“She's funny! Hey, Zoro, who's that?” The black-haired pirate jumped from the ship, landing in front of you while Sanji seemed like he had fallen into some kind of depression.  
“(y/n), but you could call her Squirrel. She wants to join us.” You froze, staring at the green-haired who was grinning at you, “Your grandma didn't tell you, did she?”, he teased, a provoking grin on his face.  
You growled lowly, taking a deep breath afterwards. Why weren't you surprised she did manage something last night...?

“As if. She prefers surprising me...” Positively as well as negatively... but leaving her seemed wrong! You grimaced, turning your head around, staring into the direction of your home. Your grandmother really was something...   
“She wants? Great! I wanted to invite her already! Shishishi!”  
“...that could explain the bags in our room.” You turned your head around to look at a black-haired woman, Nico Robin, who was smiling amused, leaning against the railing.  
“Wait-what. Bags?”, you wanted to know confused, earning a chuckle from her. “In our room are two bags and a treasure chest. Nami wanted to open it, but I kept her from doing it.”, she explained innocently. You flinched, placing a hand at your forehead. How did she... No, you shouldn't think about it. She had her ways...

“Oh, fine, fine, fine. Whatever she wants... I obviously can't help it...”, you sighed, giving in to her wish. She wanting you to join a pirate crew – and the pirate captain immediately agreeing on it – unbelievable.

Zoro's gleeful grin made you narrow your eyebrows, hitting his upper arm, “Stop grinning like that! You know who's gonna be your personal navigation system from now on, don't you?”, you huffed. It kinda was his fault as well – so you'd make sure to pay him back.  
He grimaced, eyeing you disbelieving, “You're not... meaning it, are you...?”  
Now it was you who grinned gleefully, nodding right away, “Oh yes. I'll cling to you, Zoro~”


	15. Day Fifteen ~ Doflamingo

He isn’t really sure how it had come to this. He should have paid more attention, been more careful. Should have – no, it didn’t matter. It was too late – he already had your wrath turned on him. Which was, in all honesty, very unnerving. 

People thought him a monster, thought he was able to bring about carnage -and while that was true, he would never deny that! – you took slaughter to a whole new level. The smile on his lips was stone. He wasn’t exactly afraid – and even if he was he wouldn’t ever say that, not even in his own head. But he was, admittedly, anxious. 

There was blood dripping from your fingers, and for a short moment he thought, you looked lovely. Then he remembered that you were currently just a quip away from breaking his neck, and his little grin twitched in the smallest sign of his nervousness. 

“If you shackle me down in the dungeons ‘For my own safety’, just ONE MORE TIME – then I swear on my blood, that the enemies will be the least of your worries.” You said. Your voice was calm and even, but rather emotionless. He knew what that meant. Oh he knew too well – it wasn’t a threat, no. It was a promise, one he did not take lightly. 

He just inclined his head down in acceptance of the reprimand he was receiving, his small grin still strained. “I have the feeling whatever I could say right now, will make it all the worse.”

“Damn right you are!” oh shoot, your voice had dropped the slightest bit, and he finally managed to school his features into something more of a guilt show. He wasn’t all that sorry, but he wouldn’t forget that he liked and respected you for a reason. Oh there were so many reasons, and all of them just made him love you – different to how he loved his makeshift family, or how he had loved his mother.

He would definitely make you his-

“Stop. I know that face. I know that glimmer in your eyes. I do not wish to be you queen. Heck if I have any say in this I’d knock you around until you see how stupid this all is. I left my throne, Doffy. Do not seat me on a new one I don’t want. If you insist on making me your queen, I promise you this: Your country will burn. If not by enemy hand, by my own.” Your voice had taken on a dangerous edge. Doffy shivered in delight. His smile came back, taking over his lips and he chuckled.

“I know. I’m looking forward to that. Just promise me, you will stay with me either way.” The request left his lips with such ease it was slightly frightening. Him – the mighty, feared Doflamingo, the heavenly demon – reduced to pleading! Pleading for the one thing no violence or threats could bring him. And he didn’t really mind.

Your posture shifted, relaxing a little bit. “I will. You may be an idiot and an ass and a damn smug bastard. But I vowed to love you unconditionally and I stand by my words; I will never lie to you, never mislead you, and I will stay as long as my feelings don’t change. Through your darkest hours, and our most glorious of days for as long as you want me.”

“As long as I treat you with the respect you deserve and all the.. Affection I am capable of giving.” He nodded, reciting his part of the promise from days long past. His words seemed to quench the last of your anger, and your shoulders slumped a little. 

“Come on. It’s Christmas- let’s get you bathed and enjoy the rest of the evening, my love.”

“Call me by a pet name again and I will cut out your tongue.” You rumbled, but your voice was flat with resignation, and he chuckled. 

“Of course, (y/n), fufufun~” 

A hot bath would be the best – as always after a tyring battle, and so he placed his hand to the small of your back, gently guiding you back into his headquarters and into the bathroom. It filled him with pride to make you feel safe and relaxed. To be able to coax that soft smile on your lips, to hear that small pleased moan when you sank down into the hot water. He had no idea what made you love him, but he wouldn’t complain. He would just enjoy it as long as it held.

*~*~*

 

He refused to turn his head as the cell do his door was opened. Tsuru was an old bitch, and she could shove her rightfulness up her wrinkled ass. At least they had left him his sunglasses. It was pathetic as he was lying here on the floor, eyes closed in calm, seething rage.

Steps told him that someone entering, but the clattering of the closing of his cell door opted him to finally take a look. Who in their right mind would- a sharp pain in his side made him grunt in pain. 

“Hey there, dickhead.” The familiar soft tembre of your voice actually made him gap and stare up at you. Opening his mouth to ask something, say something, anything, he quickly snapped his jaw shut as he managed to catch the smallest narrowing of your eyes. So he stayed quiet, his hundred questions silently hanging in the air. The small noise of chains caught his attention as you rounded his prone body to slouch down with your back against the wall, knees pulled up, arms loosely resting on them.

“I come back from a mission to find you’ve been exposed, overthrown and put behind bars. Can’t exactly say I’m disappointed.” You hummed, and despite everything, he managed a short snort. 

“Yeah, figures you’d like this.” He smiled. 

“Yep.” You nod, the ‘p’ stressed and making the pop needlessly stand out. One of your little quirks. “Do you remember our promise?”

It took him a little while to find his words, so he simply nods. “I remember. And I remember christmas thirteen years ago.” Somehow his voice was breathless, barely above a whisper.

“Good. Because I’d hate to have turned myself in for naught, had you forgotten.” 

How could he? You were the one variable that had never left, never lied, never taken any shit from him, and was –still!- here. In a cell, on the way to impel down. Just because of that one promise. It told him everything he needed to know, and for the first time since his defeat by the Strawhat, he actually managed to relax a little.

“I’ll never forget, (y/n). Never.” There was promise in his words, and thousand things left unsaid. Because he was Doflamingo – he didn’t do feelings. And he did talking about feelings even less.

You stretched your legs until your naked feet touched his sides, burying them under his lean and warm body. The small contact was comforting and grounding, and for now, more than enough.

At least now he had a reason to get himself – and you- out of prison in some time. And with you at his side, he’d even be able to face Kaidos wrath.

Your small, almost inaudible sigh made the corner of his lips twitch into a slight smile.

One promise, so many years ago. It had made christmas to his most cherished date in the year. He chuckled darkly at the sappy feel the thought brought up in his chest. 

Well, even a demon like him deserved a little light in their lives after all.


	16. Day 16 ~ Killer

You narrowed your eyebrows, watching your crew mates fight. They were terribly bored, that's why they decided to fight against each other – just until marines or other pirates would show up – or they got told to do something. The logpose would need a few more days to set what made it even worse for them.   
Sitting beneath a tree a few meters away, you already had to dodge one or another attack, but that was okay.

“Not joining them, (y/n)?” Killer's voice made you turn your head around, a lopsided smile appearing on your lips.  
“Nah, you know I'm focusing on poisons in a battle. I'm not a bad fighter, but without using them, it wouldn't be fun for me. I'd rather watch them and if someone gets hurt too badly, I've got to patch them up. Why aren't you joining them?”, you wanted to know smirking, “You're probably bored as well, aren't ya?”  
“Only a bit, but I'll wait a bit more. Kidd sent some of our men to search for a village we can rob and destroy.”, he explained, voice calm as usual. You hummed as a sign that you heard him, tipping at your bottom lip with your fingers.

“Not bad. It doesn't seem to be a lively island, but there might be someone around~”, you agreed, watching him sit down next to you.  
“Hey, if you find something and rob it, you'll get a Christmas gift for me, right?”, you teased, poking him with your elbow.  
He looked at you, shaking his head lowly. “Seriously? What would you even want?”, he wanted to know rhetorically, making you chuckle.

“Think of something~ You know one thing I've always been curious about, but since I won't get that, you'll have to be creative~” You didn't really need a gift – you knew and he knew this as well. You didn't even expect to get anything like that, but a bit teasing should be okay.  
“Sure, (y/n).”, he sighed, not sounding really convincing as he shook his head.

 

After half an hour, your comrades were allowed to go wild. They had found a village hidden deep in the forest – and like the bored pirates they were, they would destroy it and take everything valuable with them. You had no problem with such things, but this time, you let the men go and have their fun without you interrupting. You'd watch over the ship – somebody had to do that as well.

You jumped onto the railing and from it to the crow's nest, stretching with a hum. Since this island seemed pretty lonely, it was unlikely that something interesting would happen. You highly doubted as well that somebody else would come here – and if somebody had that bad luck, it would be pirates thanks to their log pose. You smirked lightly, opening your leather bag. So, since you would keep an eye on your surroundings, you could simultaneously take care of the herbs you had collected.

~*~

You could understand why your comrades felt bored. If you got nothing else to do, you wanted to move on. Knowing you would stay here a few more days, knowing the next island would be arrived in a week or later made it awful. You were walking through the ship, not really knowing what to do next. You were done with your herbs – maybe you should just enter the island and collect more?

“Oi, (y/n).” You turned around to look at the cook, raising one eyebrow questioning.  
“What is it?”, you wanted to know, “Got something to do for me?”  
He pointed towards the kitchen, nodding afterwards, “You can help me with a few things.”  
“In the kitchen?”, you muttered, making him narrow his eyebrows.  
“Where else? Of course in the kitchen.”  
“But Kidd forbid me to help there... because of my poisons.”, you explained, innocently smiling, earning a huff.  
“It's fine, I got the permission to involve you. He wants a lot of food tonight.”, he sighed, rubbing the back of his head.  
“Mmh... okay! Yes, something to do!”

~*~

You sighed relaxed, falling on your bed, crossing your arms behind your head. Yes, it was Christmas and yes, nobody of this pirate crew really cared. The only difference to the usual days was the dinner being calmer than usual. Fights were picked, but not as much as usual. You could almost call it peaceful. Oh, and there was one thing you knew. A few pirates would exchange presents – those who remembered this day and decided to buy or more likely steal something for a good friend.

Well, you knew which pirate you would get something if he cared about this day, but since he didn't really care, he wouldn't get anything. You smirked lightly, shaking your head. For you, Christmas didn't have much of a meaning. It was a day when you could exchange presents, but you didn't have to. Honestly, how should somebody care for a day of family and love if her family had been a gruesome one? Every day had been the same – to be precise, each day had been hell.

You were glad the Kidd pirates had attacked – you had been so close to kill your own parents that you didn't mind showing them how cruel you had become. Rather, you didn't show them on purpose, but they had been there – and they had decided to take you with them. Your life was so much better now – if you wanted and Kidd agreed, you could just attack whomever you wanted. You could cause chaos if you wished to do so... and there were a few kinds of people you loved to terrorise. 

 

You raised one eyebrow as somebody knocked at your door, entering just a few seconds afterwards. With a sigh, you raised your head lightly, eyeing the masked vice captain of the crew curiously.  
“What is it, Killer?”, you wanted to know humming, sitting up cross-legged. He tilted his head lightly, walking over to you and sitting down next to you.  
“You wanted a Christmas present. Forgot that already?”, he mused, making you blink.  
“Huh? You know I've been joking, right?”, you replied with a hum, earning a chuckle.  
“Of course. What about it? I can still decide to take care of a present for you if I want to.”, he gave back.

For a moment, you kept quiet, before you chuckled, “If that's what you want, sure. I won't stop you. What kind of present did you think of?”, you wanted to know, raising one eyebrow.  
“The one thing you won't stop asking for.”, was his simple answer, “but I've got one condition.”, he added, making your astonishment stronger.  
“Which condition? Come on, Killer, don't play with my curiosity like that!”, you exclaimed, almost pouting, earning a deep chuckle.

“Let's just say, it's more fun like this for me.”, he hummed, “My condition is that you tell me right away what you think of it. No excuses, no stammering, just plain your thoughts.”  
Wow. That was a condition you didn't expect. You tilted your head, chuckling again. “Should be possible, Killer, but honestly... I did rather expect something like _Don't tell anyone_.”  
He huffed, “I assumed you'd see this _condition_ as given.”  
“I do, I do~ that's why this one surprised me.”, you admitted with a grin, “But that's fine. Go on, I'll tell you right away~”

Killer nodded, placing one hand at his mask, grabbing it and slowly taking it off. You watched him, eyes widening a bit as you were finally able to see his face. It had taken a lot of time and patience convincing him to show it to you. Well, convincing had been the wrong word, it had rather been a going on his nerves.

You leaned a bit closer to him, eyeing him fascinated, “Wow... I don't get why you're hiding your face.”, you murmured, raising one hand to stroke over his cheek with your thumb carefully. He had flinched lightly, but kept quiet.  
“It looks like it had been very painful in the past, but it... suits you. That's what I think.”, you hummed, a smile appearing on your lips.

He raised his eyebrows sceptically, probably doubting your words, “You sure that's what you think?”, he wanted to know, eyes locking with yours.  
“Of course. Believe it or not, I like your face~ It's sexy~”, you chuckled, letting your hand rest at his cheek. Honestly, you liked it. He could doubt you as much as he wanted to, you wouldn't change your mind.

He hummed, lowly nodding. For a brief moment he closed his eyes, a smirk appearing on his face, “So, what about a present for me?”  
You blinked, not moving back, but tilting your head a bit, “A present, huh? Well, I got what I wanted. What do you want?”

He opened his eyes again, grinning at you amused, “Oh, I know something I'd enjoy.”  
You had a feeling where things were going, but you simply smiled innocently, “Yes? What is-” You couldn't even finish your sentence as your lips were sealed with his. At first, it was almost hesitant, but it soon got fiercer, breathtaking. 

The moment, you broke the kiss, you chuckled out of breath, placing your arms around his neck, “I hardly think that was all.”  
Killer grinned, humming lowly, “We've got the whole night, you know.”


	17. Day Seventeen ~ Benn

Male!Reader  
Warning: Language, Character death

“An’ one mo’ round fo’ yer guys” you grunt, balancing a tray above your head the radius of twice your height. With a routine acquired by working in this job all your live, you somehow get the big mugs down from your tray and onto the table. The men cheer loudly, and one makes a move to grab your ass, but his friend is wise enough – a regular customer, by the way – and quickly snatches his wrist, keeping it away from you. 

“Hey! Oh come on! Let me just have some fun with this lad here!” the man growls at his friend, freeing his wrist and levering the other with a dark glare, before turning to you again. “You don’t mind, do ya?” he questions, leering. 

You blink at him, face blank and bored, eying him up and down quite visibly, before making a disgusted grimace. “Better don’, ma boyfriend is sitting o’er there, an’ he tends ta be quite violent when it comes dow’ ta me.” I simple shrug of your shoulder accompanies your statement and you don’t bother with the sneer you get for your way of speaking. Neither do you really mind the disgust on their faces as you mention a boyfriend. Yeah, you were gay – so what? Wasn’t their problem and besides, one of their men had just made a pass at you, not the other way round. You lean down between two of the customers sitting at the table and pick up the empty mugs, placing them on the now empty tray. Chewing on a toothpick, you don’t see a need to give the grabby guy another look. Only when he jumps up, his big hand curling around the wrist hovering over the last empty mug on the table. You sigh, your eyes snapping back to him.

His eyes are livid, filled with joy of a challenge. You knew that look, seen it often enough when stupid men tried to put their hands on your co-workers and you stepped in, or played pretend-boyfriend to keep them off. It wasn’t often the cause, however, that someone looked that way because of you, so you arched an eyebrow at him and waited for him to speak his mind. 

After just a second, he blurted out: “I’ll fight him, and when I win, you’re mine to fuck tonight!” The declaration is loud, and several of the other customers fall silent or lower their voices. All but one table, of course, housing a band of pirates. The friend that had tried to stop this idiot turned pale, and you just stared.

“....Wha’?”

“Show me the guy, and I’ll fuck you six ways to Sunday! Come on, It’ll be great! I know you want it too!” he leans over to you and in turn, you lean away. 

“... yyyyeeeeeaaahhh, how ‘bout NO. Thanks bud, I appreciate the effort, but I’d hate ta clean th’floor t’night. My shift is almost o’er an’ blood is a pain in the ass. Literally.” You just grimace. Snatching your wrist out of his grasp and straightening your back, you notice the way the idiot seemed to seethe at your blatant rejection.

“Who is it? Tell me now, or I’ll-“

“Ya WHAT? Keep on being a dick? Keep on hitting on me? Grossin’ me out? Challenge ma boyfriend loudly? Yeah, don’ mind me, I’ll just be o’er there and tell ma colleague ta ready the cleaning stuff. Do me a favour an’ take it outside, will y-“ you were interrupted when his hand flew out, curling around your throat tightly. It wasn’t quite enough to choke you, but a good warning indeed. More of the customers fell silent. 

“Who.” He repeats, voice dark.

You point your hand towards the table with pirates, still partying loudly without the slightest concern and unbothered by the display At least it seemed that way, one should know better than to assume such with these men. Your would-be-partner tightened his hold a moment in warning, before turning his head to muster the loud table. It takes just a few seconds until he erupts in laughter and almost doubles over.

“You – you mean to tell me that... pffft! That one of the Red Hair pirates is your boyfriend? Ahahahahahaha! That’s-That’s hilarious!” his eyes crinkle in amusement and you frown.

“Havin’ fun there, bud?” growling, you push at his hand around your throat, but instead of letting go, his grip tightens. Why did people keep disbelieving your words? You send a glare over to the crew, finding not one person looking over and pointedly looking away. That was the only thing you needed to know you had their full attention. Always giving you the chance to deal with your own mess. It was nice – most of the time. Not so nice tonight.

“You could have probably pointed at anyone else, I’d have taken it seriously. Maybe even if you had pointed at a chair. But one of the emperors crew? You mean to tell me one of those men is gay? Yeah, keep telling lies.” You grimace, and with a rough pull from him, your tray clutters to the ground, the mugs crashing to shards on the floor. A small wince leaves you at the sheer pain the action causes you, and the accompanying thought of how much work this was going to be to clean up later. Then there is warm breath smelling of rum and whiskey and beer on your cheek and against your ear. “So I’m gonna believe this was a lie made up on the spot to keep me away, and just take your ass for a spin later anyways.” 

You shudder, grossed out and finally pretty pissed at the sheer audacity this man shows. The room had fallen silent, and you glare pass him straight into the dark eyes of your very much angry boyfriend. For now, he was doing nothing. Benn wasn’t aggressive and he kept his possessiveness under lock and key if possible. He gave you all the freedom you needed. But this was understandably a situation that was crossing the line, even if you preferred to deal with such things yourself. 

You are ripped out of your thoughts as a gun clicks, right next to your head. The cool metal of the barrel touches your jaw, and caresses over heated skin, up over your check, and stops at your temple. “You WILL be there tonight, sweetie. Are we clear?” he whispered.

You couldn’t help but grow frustrated at this, narrowing your eyes, still staring ahead at Benn. “You do realize that you are threatening me right now, are you?” Your voice was even and smooth and your language was considerable more proper than before, making Benns eyes darken even more. 

The asshole in front of you laughs darkly, probably thinking nobody would stop him, since nobody was interrupting him. “Oh deary, I was thinking you had no common knowledge at all!” the amusement is palpable, and it makes you growl. He pushes the cold metal harder against your skin, tilting your head forcefully to avoid pain. “I asked you whether I made myself clear.”

“You certainly did. And while holding a loaded gun against my head, I might add, so I probably SHOULD agree to your proposition. But you see, I’m pretty much exclusive. Which still means a NO. Take down the gun or I let go of the leash.”

“Leash? On whom, you little whore? I’d die to shut your mouth with my dick, make you beg-“

PANG!

The echo of the shot s short lived in the furnished wooden room and the following hollow thud of something dropping to the floor is just as unimpressive. Not having taken your eyes of Benn for the whole talk, you hadn’t missed the moment he had pulled his weapon and fired. The end of his barrel was still smoking slightly.

“Exactly THAT leash. Just who do some people think keeps you guys in check while you stay here? Honestly, I can’t believe people keep thinking I lie to them. I’m so tired of this shit.” You wipe away a little splat of blood on your check, outright disgusted. 

“Are you hurt?” Benn asked calmly, and you glare at him.

“Does my pride count?”

“No.”

“What about my nerves?”

“The same.”

“Then no.” You huff. Your gaze glides to shanks, eyeing you with that particular glint again. “Don’t. Shanks, no. I’m staying. I’m not a pirate. I’m a waiter and a barkeeper, and no one is getting me out there in a sailing nutshell, chased by the government.” Each word is carefully intoned, and his thoughtful gaze soon turns into an annoyed pout. “Good, now that this is settled – might one of you gentlemen be so nice to get this dead insect out of my fucking tavern so I can clean up here? Roo, be a heart please.” 

The big, rather fat man breaks into a grin and nods, fulfilling your simple request; Out with the corpse. Rockstar and Yassop even find it in themselves to help you clean up the mess left behind. It takes the better half of an hour until the business in the bar was almost back to normal. The conversations where still dimmer than before, the people jumpy and some even scared. But some, only a few and them being your regulars, went back to their usual banter, flirting, cursing and drinking as before. The table that had housed the now dead man and his... companions, had excused themselves with pale faces and low voices, leaving a considerable amount of gold behind to pay for the damage. And probably so they wouldn’t get into more trouble themselves by association.

It takes another hour before you quit for the day, giving you position over to one of your employees, and you throw away the toothpick and place down your apron, before walking over to Benn. You come up to him from behind, curling an arm around his neck, resting the hand, fingers splayed out, on his chest. Humming, he tips his head back to look up at you upside down. It makes you smile, and you take his cigarette from his lips, taking a long and deep drag yourself. You press your lips against his in a kiss, and he wastes no time to deepen it, making you sigh. 

Only when the need to breath became apparent did you pull back, and you laughed slightly as he breathed the smoke you had shared into your face. Some of the guys on the table give cat-calls, and you have to resist the silly urge to preen. 

“(y/n), do you have any idea what date is today?” Benn asked as he pulls you around and into his lap, curling his arm around your waist. His other hand gently strikes your throat as if to apologize for the manhandling from before. You simply shrug your shoulder.

“Dunno and don’ care.” leaning in to nib at his jaw, he gives a weak grin. 

“Figured. Well, do you want to know?”

“Nah. Dun need ta. Yer here, that’s all that counts.”

You felt him relax as you language dropped back into the usual slurred slang you used, and you smile. It was the best sign to show him how you were fine and relaxed again. Of course you knew which date today was – Christmas eve. And your 11th anniversary as a married couple. Though, that was a very well kept secret.

“Gimme a kiss?” you hum, and he smiles, complying easily. 

“Well, aren’t you two cute~ One day I’ll just kidnap (y/n) and drag him along-“ Shanks giggles, and you kick out your feet, expertly hitting his shin in a sore spot ( you knew because it was where you hit him every darn time) and making him yelp and stop.

You and Benn grin into the kiss and to be honest, his snickering at your behaviour is all you wanted for now – the rest would be taken and given tonight in tender isolation from the rest.


	18. Day 18 ~ Sanji

You hummed a peaceful melody, leaning against the railing of the Thousand Sunny. It was getting cold, but it was still quite enjoyable to just watch the sun go down. Usually, it would be quiet noisy here, but since it was dinner time, most of your comrades were already inside. Especially Luffy who couldn't wait. You knew that Franky and Usopp were repairing something at the Soldier Dock System – about the rest, you could guess where they were if not in the kitchen.   
Closing your eyes for a second, you enjoyed the calm situation. It was rare – and you enjoyed every second of it. Of course, you loved your crew, but sometimes you simply needed some time for yourself. You smiled, thinking about your crew. Most of them were fools – or rather, everybody was somehow, but you liked all of them. Well, except you had some problems with Brook's and Sanji's behaviour sometimes.

Thinking of the devil – Sanji was just calling for dinner. You heard it, but you didn't react right away. You weren't that hungry, it wouldn't bother you if there wasn't much left for you because of your captain. And knowing your cook, you could already tell he would make sure that you got enough, just like he would for Nami and Robin. Honestly, it was quite difficult to understand this man. On the one hand, he was a gentleman and on the other hand, he was more like a ladykiller. He could be so smart – and so dumb. The more you wondered about him, the more fascinated you got. Not that it made it easier for you to deal with his exaggerating behaviour towards you and other women. Yes, you couldn't handle compliments and courteously treatment.  
“(y/n)-chan! You should come and eat something!~ I bet you're hungry! I cooked something really delicious tonight!~” Sanji's chiming made you look up, stopping your humming. With a sigh, you turned around, a lopsided insecure smile on your lips.  
“To be honest, I'm not that hungry, but I'll join you right away.”, you replied with a hum, rubbing the back of your head.  
“But please don't waste too much time, it's gonna get cold!~”  
You shook your head as you turned around, following him back into the lively kitchen. The moment you took your seat, a filled plate was already placed in front of you. Shaking your head lightly, you thanked the blond pirate, starting to eat afterwards.

~*~

You knew the kitchen belonged to Sanji – he took care of it and usually didn't like it when others were using it without him – especially when it came to cooking or baking. And there was one of those two things you intended to do he usually wouldn't like, but you got his permission a few months ago. You wouldn't cook, you would bake something – and since Christmas was close, you knew exactly what you were going to bake. Cookies. You loved baking, it had been part of your job before you joined them. So, of course you wanted to make some for your crew.  
Knowing Sanji would definitely want to help you, you had started preparing everything during night – if you didn't take your time, you would be finished at the morning – but you were a perfectionist. It would definitely take longer.

With a hum, you stepped towards the fridge, grabbing through it. Thanks to your devil-fruit, you could dematerialize yourself and things you touched, making it easy for you to get into buildings you weren't supposed to enter. Often you accompanied Nami on islands – to give her access to buildings of rich people you could easily rob. It was handy, especially since you didn't need the key for the fridge like that. You had scared the hell out of Usopp back then, passing through a stone wall without him knowing it. It was a bit like that woman Perona back on Thriller Bark – with the slight difference that you didn't need to leave your body – and you couldn't fly. Not that you needed it.   
With a low chuckle, you placed the milk and eggs on the table, grabbing the rest from the wardrobes. Fun could begin~

Baking so many different kinds of cookies – or variants – took its time. You knew what the others liked, at least most of them. You made some strawhat-shaped with meat, some orange cookies, some with coke – each according to the like of your crew mates. There were only a few you weren't sure about – like Robin or Sanji. Well, you would improvise, simple as that.  
While you were baking you had started singing calmly, a song your mother had taught you. Yes, you took your time – and the sun was already rising when you started the last part. You were quite unsure – what kind of taste would Sanji like? Slowly, you started putting the different ingredients into the bowl, mixing them.

~*~

“Such a beautiful melody, (y/n)-chan.”, Sanji hummed, making you flinch, causing a big cloud of flour to fill the air. You had just grabbed it... that had been a bad timing. You coughed, rubbing your white face. Now you had to clean up this mess...  
“T-thanks.”, you coughed, grimacing a bit. He hurried towards you, handing you a towel.  
“I'm sorry! I didn't mean to surprise you!”, he replied hastily, throwing a short look at the collection of your cookies.  
“They look good... how long have you been baking? I could have helped you!”  
You blinked because of his almost pouting face, sighing calmly, before you nodded.  
“I did and let's just say... I wanted to surprise the others on my own.”, you hummed, biting your bottom lip, “I wasn't done yet. I wasn't quite sure what kind of cookies you would like.”, you murmured, tilting your head a bit.  
He blinked, lowly chuckling afterwards, “I like everything made by a beautiful lady like you!~”, he chimed, making you blush. Lucky for you that your face was covered in flour.  
“Really? Even burnt ones?”, you raised one eyebrow doubtfully, trying not to think about his compliment.

“If they're presents for me, of couhourse! ♥” You could almost see the hearts flying around his head. A sigh left your lips as you turned around to take care of the dough.  
Sanji stepped next to you, eyeing you curiously, “Can I help you somehow? I bet you want to take a shower soon...”, he wanted to know, a mischievous glee in his eyes. You could imagine what he was thinking about, yeah.  
“Maybe a bit. I'd prefer getting rid of this white stuff soon.”, you admitted with a hum, handing him another bowl and whisk so he could stir.  
“I'll go and take a shower as soon as we're done here.”, you explained, grabbing the flour once more – this time without any accident.  
“But you don't have to clean! It's my fault, I'll take care of that!”, Sanji exclaimed. You wanted to protest, but it was obvious that he wouldn't accept a no – so you just went along with it.

~*~

“Delicious!”, Luffy chimed, eating one of your meat-filled _cookies_ after another. Since you had your problems with finding presents, this seemed like a nice alternative. The others were enjoying their cookies as well – nobody complained, luckily.   
Dinner had passed already – now you were sitting together in the aquarium bar where Usopp and Franky had placed a Christmas tree. Nami and Robin as well as Chopper had taken care of the decoration, making it look and smell nicely inside this room.  
“He's right. You could make a lot of money, selling such cookies and other pastry!”, Nami agreed, her usual money-expression on her face, her eyes showing Beli-signs. You rubbed the back of your head sheepishly, a slight blush covering your face.  
“Thank you. I gave my best.”, you murmured smiling, throwing a short look at the plates which were slowly but surely emptied. 

Gifts were exchanged, songs were sung, alcohol was drunk – the time passed fast. The end wasn't even close when suddenly cannon shots were fired. The ship swayed, making a few of your crew mates hit the floor. All of you hurried outside – the one night when you didn't have a guard outside, you were attacked. You couldn't really tell right away how many ships were attacking you – but with your crew mates, it shouldn't be a problem defeating them or getting away.  
“Everybody, let's beat the hell out of them!”, Luffy exclaimed while Zoro already cut the next cannonballs. The next moment, your captain was already flying towards one of the ships, destroying it with his Elephant Gun. You had grabbed your knifes, getting ready to defend if anyone tried to jump onboard.  
You couldn't count the soldiers your crew defeated – one after another, you passed through them, hitting them with your knife. It wasn't difficult, only a bit exhausting – and you were obviously unlucky. You were too close to the railing when more cannonballs hit the sea around you. You stumbled, falling over it into the sea. You lost your power immediately, sinking down and slowly losing consciousness. You could a silhouette coming closer just before everything went black.

~*~

You blinked, grimacing and closing your eyes because of the light. Which idiot did leave the light on...? You shivered lightly as you sat up, rubbing your face. It took you you a moment to realise what had happened before – that you fell into the sea during a fight. You grimaced, slowly opening your eyes, before you blinked in surprise. Sanji was sleeping, his head placed on your lap. For a brief moment, you eyed him thoughtfully, hesitantly stroking through his blond hair. With him being here, you could at least be sure that everything had turned out fine. Such a relief.  
It didn't take long until your touch made him wake up. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and pausing as he realised you were awake.

“Don't shock us like that, (y/n)-chan! We were worried!”, he exclaimed, staring at you with wide eyes. You blushed lightly, lowering your head a bit unconsciously.  
“You should have went to bed, Sanji... there was no need in watching me. I wouldn't die...”, you murmured sheepishly. It was obvious you couldn't handle this closeness.  
“But I wanted to watch you. Say, did you take a look around already?”, he wanted to know, a smile appearing on his lips. You blinked in confusion, looking around carefully. At first, you couldn't see too much surprising things like decoration – well, until you looked up. Over your head, at the ceiling, was a mistletoe. The blush on your face darkened as you stared at the blond cook. He knew you couldn't handle this – so why did he make it worse? Why did he challenge you like that?  
“Sanji... What?”, you muttered confused, watching how he got closer. You didn't move an inch – you knew what he was about to do and it made you nervous, but you didn't want to stop him. You could easily retreat, but you didn't – the reason why Sanji didn't hesitate. He placed his lips on yours, engulfing you in a soft and tender kiss.  
As you broke up, you hummed lowly, cheeks covered in a light red. He smirked, cupping your cheek with his thumb, “Even with such an awful accident... Merry Christmas, (y/n).”  
Wow... just wow. You hadn't accepted such a behaviour, not the least! But it had made you happy. You lowered your head lightly, an insecure smile on your lips, “Merry Christmas to you too, Sanji.”


	19. Day Nineteen ~ Fujitora

It really was such an atrocity. He really hated the way of the government. He had hated it before, but this..? This massacre only made his disgust more tangible. Even though his eyes could not see, the stench of blood and rot was biting, almost nauseating as he raided the place with his most trusted men. It was useless – most of the poor beings were already dead, died of starvation and neglect it seemed. 

“Sir, there is a survivor.” One of his subordinates report, and he follows that voice over to a corner. The low, almost inaudible echo of his steps change and he could tell that he was moving towards an open door. Without hesitation, he steps through. He hadn’t expected anything, but once he passed the tress hold, he almost staggers at the sheer pressure of the survivor’s presence; your presence. As soon as he had been caught off guard, he had straightened himself again. 

“That is a very strong killing intent. I can only ask you to not attack me; I do not wish harm upon you.” He carefully said. An indignant huff is the only response he gets, and the pressure simply dissipates as if it hadn’t been there at all. The rustling of chains catches his ears, and he furrows his brows in displeasure. 

“I will destroy your chains. Don’t struggle, please.” He steps closer, and now that your presence wasn’t overwhelming his senses anymore, he could tell there was a bed where you sat on, chained to one of the poles. His words followed actions, and soon, you were free. His instincts told him that you were cautious, but at the moment, not necessarily a threat to him or his men. “Can you stand?” he questions softly, holding out a hand in offer. 

He couldn’t see it, but he heard you shift on the sheets and felt you grasp his outstretched hand. He didn’t support much weight, and considering your hand were surprisingly big, he concluded you were probably underweight.

“What is your name?” he hummed, and he is a little surprised as your hand holding his pulled it towards you. Soon, his fingers touch cold skin, and his tips bump against a collar. Your hand guided his further underneath it, and aside from the chaffed and sore skin he can feel, he notices the lack of an adams apple; so you were a woman. Then he feels something different, and he frowns – scars. Deep scars, and the way they felt, old ones. Either someone had tried to behead you, or...”Your vocal cords were taken?”

A nod is his answer, and anger burned deep inside him. His hand stays where it is, simply carefully tracing the scar around your neck, and he soon calms again. “I need to take you away, somewhere safer. Are you ok with that?” 

This time, you shake your head. He sighs, but nods. “I can relate to that. After all, the person who kept you here was... overlooked by the government. I will let you go. It is your right.”

For just a second, there is the pressure again, but it stays at a calm rage and nothing more. It intrigues him – never before had he been confronted with someone with such a strong spirit and mind. He can tell, without seeing, that you were perfectly fine in your own right. Not broken – wounded, maybe, but not mentally broken, and it mesmerized him.

“Can I call you Storm?” he asked, and after a moment, he could feel amusement radiate from you, and you nod. A small smile tugs at his lips. “Good. I hope I will meet you again one day, Storm. Under better circumstances.” You let go of his hand, and he steps back.

“Sir, protocol dictates that we take her back.” His men simply said, just as a reminder but knowing that his superior would simply brush it off.

“Whom? I didn’t see anyone in here.” He grins wryly. The man sighed in defeat, making space, and Fujitora hears you almost inaudible steps leave the room, then the compound. He had no doubt you would survive out there, and he had hope to meet you again.

*~*~*~*~*

His hope is answered, three month later, when someone enters his ship in the dead of the night. He feels no ill intent, so he doesn’t say anything, since his men obviously never noticed the intruder anyways.

It makes him a little prissy, since he thought they were trained better. But his mood calmed when he found an envelope and a letter written in braille, and a wooden cane that turned out to be a pretty sharp sword. The letter made him smile, but the sword? It turns into his constant companion, and he simply stores his old sword away. 

He regrets not having met you face to face, but he is content to know you were out there and, obviously, doing well. 

*~*~*~*~*

After that, his thoughts return to you more often. He catches himself thinking about you many times, still intrigued by the calm demeanour and the silent strength you had displayed. It is only month later that he wakes up to another letter dedicated to him. This time, it makes him laugh. 

One page was nothing more than a short explanation where his present came from. A reassuring that it wasn’t stolen, but actually forged by your own hands. The other page though was almost hilarious. It was more or less a rant – but in such detached words and cold phrases, that it seemed more like a scientific essay than a letter of complaint. It brightened his mood, and even though he would like to contact you, he doesn’t try. 

The letters are a reoccurring happening after that. Once or twice a month, no matter where he was docked, without a fail, there would be a letter and some kinds of news. Not seldom there where information on people attached. People like those who had kept you – warlords. It disgusted him, but at the same time, it greatly worried him. Those people could get away with many things sadly, and he feared for you to get captured once more.

It is almost two years later until he finally got to meet you once more. It’s just brief, nothing more than the faint trace you had left behind and by now he knew that was done deliberately. It made him smile.

~*~*~*~*~*

You were playing games with him – even his men had noticed. How could they not? The letters, his mood, or that sometimes their night shift would simply fall asleep, and the kitchen had been raided by an intruder (at least no one confessed their ‘crime’, so he was pretty sure that was you) in the morning. His course varied as he followed the clues you left, like he was following a trail of breadcrumbs. 

And, honestly, he was enjoying it. He was a gambler, and he loved to play with fate. Or you, for that matter. Once, he had almost caught up, the only trace you had left a trickle of your presence and a small puddle of blood. He had been on edge after that, until the next letter appeared, reassuring him you were fine. It’s all he needed, and so the treasure hunt keeps going. 

~*~*~*~*~*

He felt a giddiness in him that was somewhat alien. He usually was calm, but this time? There was noise of fighting, and he bit his lip to suppress the grin that threatened to take over his face. While he succeeded, his men did not, and some of them cheered quietly. They entered the fight and seamlessly integrated themselves. Your men seemed stunned, but before long simply accepted the help, and soon the corrupt men where all bound in ropes. 

He manoeuvred through the present people without trouble, and only came to a stop before you. The smile was visible, and he hummed in satisfaction.

“ So, I caught up. What is my prize?” he asked. One of your men came over, and snickering came over the rest as the man stretched up to hold something over your heads. Since he was blind, he was left, literally, in the dark what was going on. The amusement radiating off you made him a little wary, though before he could take a step back, you had caught his hand in yours.

“A Mistletoe!” the man next to you both laughed. “That’s your prize. You know, Christmas mood and all. You do know what that means, right?”

Fujitora raises an eyebrow, before his smile turns soft. There is mischief in your posture and the soft squeeze of his hand you held, made him chuckle. 

“Well then, I’d hate to break tradition. But I still don’t know how tall you are, so you might want to help a man out here?” 

The answer to that are soft lips pressed to his, and he noticed the smile on them – the same he was sporting.

Cheers go through the men, his and yours alike, and he pulls back slightly, only to peck your lips once more. “If this is my prize every time, I know I will have a serious gambling problem in the future.” He remarks softly, and his men laugh.

“Well, more serious than it already is, anyways...”

“Well, I guess you will have a real problem then – usually, the stakes will be raised every time, right?” one of your comrades said, and Fujitora knows without seeing that he wiggles his eyebrows. You shake a little, and he knows you’re laughing silently.

“Well, can’t say that I dislike the outcome of this game. It is quite thrilling, after all. Especially since I am after the main prize.”

“Ah, she’s blushing. You broke her!”

He grinned. This game might just be what he had needed in his life – unexpected, but more than welcome.


	20. Day 20 ~ Luffy

Pain. Your body hurt the moment you slowly regained consciousness. It hurt – your whole body, especially your back and head, but it was warm and comfortable. You had no clue where you were, but it seemed fine. You blinked a few times, slowly opening your eyes. It took a while until your eyes were used to the light, but finally you could look around. If you considered the swaying, it seemed like you were in the infirmary of a ship. So, either marines, pirates or merchants had taken care of you.

Realising that made you wonder again. How did you end up here? What had happened that you ended up like that? You narrowed your eyebrows, rubbing the back of your head, realising that it had been bandaged. O-kay. Seemed like some kind of amnesia. 

You looked up as the door opened, tilting your head lightly as you could see a small reindeer entering. It stopped, staring at you, obviously not quite sure whether he should come closer or not.  
“Did you take care of me, reindeer?”, you wanted to know calmly, tilting your head because of the look he gave you – somehow upset.  
“I'm not a raccoon! I'm- wait. Did you call me reindeer?” He blinked, stepping closer, “Ah, yes, I took care of your injuries, but Luffy pulled you out of the sea.”, he explained, “I'm Chopper. Who are you?”, he wanted to know, earning a confused look.  
“I'm... I think it was (y/n). Please don't ask me what happened. That's what I want to know right now.”, you murmured, a bit annoyed that you couldn't remember what had happened.  
“...I'm not surprised seeing your injuries. You must have been hit at your head – and I really want to know what happened to your back.”, he explained, rubbing his chin. You blinked, narrowing your eyebrows.  
“Let's just say, you should take it slow the next days. If you need some painkillers, just tell me.”, he offered, a smile on his face.  
“Thank you... but, where am I? Whose ship is this?”, you hummed, rubbing your head, narrowing your eyebrows.

Chopper blinked, but before he could answer, the door was opened. “Hey, Chopper! What's with- Hey, you're awake!” You flinched lightly as the black-haired man eyed you, rushing over to you.  
“I'm Monkey D Luffy, the future pirateking! Who are you?” You paused for a moment, narrowing your eyebrows. Monkey D Luffy. You stared at him, keeping quiet while trying to figure out why his name sounded familiar to him.  
“...The Strawhat pirates?”, you wanted to know calmly, “I'm (y/n). It's nice to meet you guys.”, you added, turning around on your bed, placing your feet on the ground. You narrowed your eyebrows, feeling the pain, yes, but it was endurable.  
Chopper watched you with worried eyes while Luffy chuckled, “Nice to meet you to! Let's go, I bet the others want to meet you!”

He grabbed your wrist, pulling you along, ignoring Choppers complaints – you could understand his worries, but you were fine. Landing on a pirate ship – quite an achievement, but you weren't afraid, neither worried. You were fine.

~*~

The Strawhat pirates were nice. You didn't expect it, but you came along with them pretty well. Well, at least you felt like this right now. It had been a few days and you haven't arrived at any island yet as well as you still couldn't remember anything. A quiet sigh left your lips as you lowered your head, closing your eyes for a second. Somehow funny. You would celebrate Christmas with pirates – what a coincidence.

“(y/n)-chan! Dinner is ready! Come and join us!~”, Sanj chimed, earning an raised eyebrow. You turned around from the railing, heading for the kitchen. You felt so welcome here – nice, but somehow strange. You weren't really used to it, keeping your distance most of the time. Of course, you joined a conversation when you were asked to – and most of the time, it was Luffy who involved you, seeming all curious about you.

~*~

Such a relaxing day. This afternoon had been pretty lively, everybody seemed like he had forgotten something – something that was important for this evening. Sanji had to prepare something in the kitchen, Usopp and Franky had disappeared to build something – well, Zoro was sleeping – and Luffy couldn't await Christmas Eve, going on everybody's nerves. Well, he didn't annoy you, you enjoyed it. He was telling you a few stories of their adventures before he went to Sanji, wanting to beg for food.  
So now, you were sitting on the floor, leaning against the railing. It was pretty cold, but nice. There were so many questions you needed an answer for. You didn't feel like there was anyone you had to worry about, like family or friends, but you couldn't be sure. As you thought about it, you slowly fell asleep.

~*~

It was high. It was cold. You were standing on top of a cliff, an icy wind blowing, letting your hair flutter. Tears were running down your cheeks without you realising it, blaming the snow. You were alone, nobody cared for you, nobody wanted to stop you. You stepped forward, staring down at the wild sea and the sharp rocks. How likely was it that you would hit them? Very likely probably. You would die fast and quick – better than drowning, but for that, you had to aim well.  
You closed your eyes, taking the last step forward, before you fell. You didn't realise how fast you were falling, breaking through the water surface. The cold water was hurting you, but luckily, you hit a stone, losing consciousness rather fast.

~*~

You opened your eyes widely, shivering because of the cold. You had jumped into the sea, trying to kill yourself – with a reason. Sweat drops were visible on your forehead, your breath had dropped.  
“Is everything okay, (y/n)?” It was the calm voice of Robin that made you flinch, staring at her with wide eyes. You swallowed, nodding slowly afterwards.  
“Y-yeah. I only feel a bit bad, like I woke up from a nightmare... a nightmare that had been reality.”, you explained, rubbing your face. She sat down next to you, one eyebrow raised.  
“Nightmare?”, she repeated, making you nod.

“Yes. I've never been good in socialising with people and they were afraid because of my likes for the occult . My family chased me away, exaggerating until I had to leave my home island. I moved to Ibella where an elderly lady took care of me for a few years – I had nobody except for her. And there, they didn't like me because of rumours... and some days ago, the old lady was killed. I've endured a few things and finally, I jumped from a cliff, trying to commit suicide. I survived because you saved me from that...”  
“Do you regret it?”, she wanted to know, having stayed quiet, listening to you.  
You hesitated, lowering your head a bit. “That I tried to kill myself? No. I wouldn't have met you otherwise. I only feel bad for that old lady.”, you murmured, earning a chuckle from the black-haired woman.  
“Let me ask you another question. Do you still want to die?”, she hummed, eyeing you with curiosity.  
You kept quiet, before you giggled, “No, I don't think so.”

“Robin! (y/n)! Come, join us!” Luffy's voice made both of you look up. He ran over to you, grabbing your arms and pulling you up. You couldn't and you didn't want to stop him, letting him pull you along. A smile appeared on your lips as you entered the kitchen where everything had been prepared for a party. Everybody was already celebrating, except for you and Robin. Brook was playing his violin as well as singing, Luffy, Franky and Chopper were dancing and posing. Nami was enjoying Sanji's food while he acted as her _butler_ – well, until he spotted you. You were immediately offered something to eat and drink. You declined politely, sitting down on one of the available chairs. Honestly, you preferred watching them.

“Hey, hey, (y/n)!” Luffy jumped on the chair next to you, grinning at you widely, “You're okay? You could dance or sing with us!”, he suggested.  
You raised your eyebrows sceptically, slowly shaking your head with a slight smile on your lips, “Nah, that's not mine, Luffy, but thanks for the invitation.”, you hummed, earning a small pout.  
“Buuuut! Well, okay! You're not mad that we don't have presents for you, are you?”  
His question made you chuckle, shaking your head, “I'm not mad, not the least. And you gave me a great present already.”, you gave back amused, earning a confused look.  
“We did? What was it?” His curiosity made you smile, giving him a peek on the cheek.  
“Yes, the best present. A new home.”, you explained, making a few of the other crew members smile – except for Sanji. He was more upset about you giving a peek to the black-haired.  
Luffy blinked, before he chuckled, a wide grin appearing on his face, “Ah, we're happy to have a new nakama! You'll stay with us, right?”, he wanted to know. It was obvious that he was confident that you wouldn't decline – and he was right. Why should you?  
“Of course, but you'll have to train me a bit~”, you hummed, innocently smiling, “I'm not the best fighter.”  
“That's fine! Yes, a new nakama!”, he chimed, jumping onto his feet, “Let's party! Ah- and Merry Christmas!”  
You chuckled, shaking your head lightly. Such an energetic being. “Merry Christmas~”


	21. Day Twenty-One ~ Mihawk

It hadn’t always been like this, you internally frown. There hadn’t always been such a system, and as much as you liked your grumpy silent companion, it just wasn’t right. While he might be the more civil one of the 7 government permitted pirates, you were painfully aware that even he was not to get cross with. You had seen the trail of destruction he had left behind, once. Apparently, he simply had been ‘bored’. And nobody had said anything.

Your thoughts must have shown somehow on your face, as Mihawk gave a low, almost inaudible hum to pull you from your thoughts. “Is something the matter, miss (y/n)?” he asked, throwing you a glance out of unique golden eyes. 

“What, concerned for me, sword-hugger?” you muse, an ironic grin tugging at your lips.

“Maybe.” He simply answers, and that’s all it takes to stop you in your tracks. He doesn’t notice, or care, at first, taking a few more steps, before he comes to a standstill and half turns his upper body to you. His eyes don’t give anything away of what he thought, but you have been the one escorting him on these grounds for years and you were confident you could read him at least a bit. But what you could see, he was almost... uneasy? A soon as the thought crossed your mind he resumed his calm walking and snapped you out of the slight surprise. 

“Hey! No pirates walking free on these grounds!” you groan as you quicken your steps to catch up, only slowing down again when you where on the same height. 

“Do you fear I would level everything in sight and kill your precious comrades in arms and mind?” the question catches you by surprise, as had his answer before. 

“I don’t know – would you?” an answer as a question; You had no intention of falling for whatever he was... trying to do. He was a pirate, and you a marine. Even if he was slipping through the governments radars that did not mean that you were alright with that.

You watch as a silent sigh left his mouth and there is a slight frown on his face; then it all disappears again and you looked ahead and stopped walking. You watched silently as he walks over the pier towards his ridiculously small ship. With a tip to hi fedora in your direction, he disembarks and leaves.

The short conversation doesn’t stay on your mind as you have to leave for a mission just shortly after that.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Escorting him to the meeting room, escorting him back. It was a routine by now, one you did without much thinking, more often than not without even paying any attention to what he does. Somehow it’s always you who gets that job, and you don’t mind all that much. 

It’s a year later, that something shifts between you. There was a commotion in the pier when the two of you arrived. It was obvious what was going on – a slave did not want to obey and struggled. His master was not happy, spitting curses at the poor being and lashing out with a leash. 

It made you tense, and you balled your hands to fists, knuckles white and your body shivering with the strain to stay there. Stay unmoving, because you COULDN’T interfere. The auction house was government permitted. The slave business was... was legal. You couldn’t...! You bite your lower lip, and close your eyes against the wrongness in front of you. 

“Hey. You are in my way.” Mihawks voice pulled you out of your thoughts and your eyes snapped towards him in disbelief. He was standing on his small boat, staring straight at the arrogant owner – probably some nobleman or at least a rich merchant. 

“Mihawk, what are you doing?” a whisper left you, the question not really posed to him, but you knew he heard you anyways, as his gaze shifts towards you for less than a second. 

“Huh? What do you want, you filthy pirate!? Get lost before I order my men to shoot you down!”

“Your threats mean little to me. You do not know who I am. Yet, you still are in my way.” It’s calm, but there is a shift in the air as Mihawk takes out his black blade. The man shouts curses and insults, he orders his men to shoot – but they simply abandon the ship and jump into the water. Right on time, since Mihawks brings down his weapon and the slash, even from a distance, splits the ship in half. You’re certain that it’s not a coincidence when the force of the air the slash left, cut’s the slaves chain and catapults him to the pier. However, the owner? Not so lucky, and you pale since the only thing left one can see from that man is the blood oozing back to the surface, as the body is swallowed up by the sea, much like his ship.

The ease with which the warlord killed knocked your breath out of you, your stare focused on the sinking wrack. Only the cargo was floating on the surface. How... how could anyone kill so easily? What if he had hit the slave? The realization dawns pretty much at the same moment to you: The slave was alright and now free. That which had bothered you had been rightened. Your focus snapped back to Mihawk, just in time to see his hand outstretched towards you. You flinched, and his hand falls back at his side. None of you two spoke for a while, before he simply went back to his little ship, and departed.

You stayed there, watching him leave, for a long time and this time, you think about what happened often afterwards.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So, I have kind of been named your official babysitter. I hope you don’t mind, and if you do, suck it up.”

He simply blinks at your way to greet him today, and you can read surprise and confusion in his eyes, though it was subtle. He doesn’t seem to mind, and simply sighs, going around you to keep on walking to the conference room. You follow, quickly loosing yourself in your thoughts. He enters the room soon after, and you stay outside, leaning against the wall with your back, making yourself comfortable. A yawn left you, and you closed your eyes. This could take a while. Soon, you drift off to sleep unwanted.

The next time you open your eyes, it is to the annoying sound of whisper all around you. You blinked and yawned, slowly coming back awake and noticed a pleasant warmth on your side after a moment. You snap to full awareness at that, finding yourself seated on the floor and –

And goddamn Mihawk sitting next to you, giving a rather disgusted look at his shoulder, where there was a slight glitter of... of saliva..? Your face heated up rapidly, and you stuttered. “ I-I I... you... what... I..?” 

His gaze shifts up to meet your eyes, and without a word he simply stands up and started to walk back. You hurry to scramble up on your feet and escort him back, thoughts racing. The whispers that had woken you up where now silent, but you noticed the stares from the other marines and knew they had been staring and gossiping all the time. Damn.

How long had you slept? You didn’t remember sliding down to sit, nor did you remember falling asleep, or Mihawk getting back out and... DAMN! How long had the meeting been over? Where the rest of the warlords already back? Why didn’t he wake you? Or simply leave? It wasn’t like he actually needed a babysitter since he was calm enough.

Except when he wasn’t and simply killed, but those things almost never happened in direct vicinity to the marine headquarters...

A slight touch jostled you out of your thoughts, and your eyes snapped up to meet Mihawks gaze. He lowers his hand back down from where he had graced your cheek.

“You look tired still. You should sleep.” With that, he turned away and left, leaving you with burning cheeks and embarrassed gratitude towards him.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Time seems to trickle away. Things stay the same, and then again, they really don’t. It took you an eternity to find the small differences. The way you relax around the pirate, or the way he seemed almost happy when you walked him back and forth, the small, almost casual conversations you held with him. 

And at the same time, the slowly raising frustration and burning anger towards your own superiors and, sometimes, even comrades. Why couldn’t they SEE? See how WRONG they were? Why did they permit slavery? Why did they not apprehend the warlords ore? Why did they lick shoes of those asshole world nobles? You were sick of it. So sick.

It’s on a Christmas Night five years later, that things change completely for you. At the battle on Narakass, where Mihawk had helped out, together with Kuma. It wasn’t a battle – it was a massacre, and you were bloodied, and tired. And all of that... all of that, because a noble felt hurt in their pride. 

You stare at the corpse of a pair of children. They were about the ages of 4 and 7, considering the looks, they had been siblings.

“Well done! Now, this filth has probably learned their lesson!” the noble boasts, but the marines stayed silent. They tended to their wounds, or other things, but didn’t respond. Your gaze shifts to the city plaza, where a burning Christmas tree laid, all around it decorations still smoking or smouldering. 

It was all too much. “This is not what I became a marine for.” You whispered. It’s not loud, and said without any deep emotion. Maybe that’s what caught almost all the attention. The silence pulses in your eardrums, and you started to shiver.

“This... this is NOT what we are meant to do.”

“You are meant to obey and protect us-“ the noble huffs, but you pulled out your gun and shot. The bullet never hit it’s target as a black blade intercepts it. You stare at Mihawk with narrowed, teary eyes.

“... Miss (y/n), If I remember, Marines are not allowed to go against world nobles.” He said.

“Oh curse you! Curse THEM! All these civilians wouldn’t have had to die! Let me kill him!” you shouted.

Mihawk straightened, shouldering his blade, as the noble fell on his ass in a quivering heap. He started sputtering curses and insults, but no one paid him attention.

“That would make you an enemy of the government, miss (y/n). Are you certain that’s what you want?”

Your gazes were interlocked, and you pulled a grimace. He was saving your ass here, but all you could think about was to kill that worm behind him. Still, you forced yourself to calm down. You could ask him – knowing him, he’d do it with glee. But that was cowardly, and wrong. You swallowed, and stared at his golden eyes. “At this moment? Gladly. I would love to work with my comrades in the future, though. From which side doesn’t matter. After all, some outlaws are government permitted.” You said, slowly.

“That is true; however, it is not easy to get the invitation. It would be easier to simply... join one of the already accepted ones.” His eyes shine with the invitation, and you freeze for half a second, before a cruel smile curls your lips.

“I guess there’s some truth to that. So, Mihawk, are YOU sure you want me in your team?”

“Whenever you’re ready to pull that trigger.”

This time, nobody interrupts your shot.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“Huh. So this is the new poor lad?” you grin, as the marine salutes in fron of you and Mihawk. You mustered him, finding him lacking in all things – his posture, his gaze, everything! He was a disappointment, and he pales as you scowl.

“Well, you can’t babysit me anymore, miss (y/n). Considering you need a sitter yourself, now.” Mihawk simply hummed, a slight but evil smile on his lips, as he steps forward. You frown.

“As if you ever needed someone to keep watch of your movements. Hey, don’t let him use you as a pillow! That’s my privilege!” you call after him, and the marine left at your side, to keep watch over you, while you waited for the swordsman’s return, grins.

“So, it’s not just a rumor then?” he asked, and you snicker.

“Nope. That was years ago, I didn’t think people would still remember.” You hummed. “Well, actually, I didn’t think people would CARE I switched sides.”

“Oh it is pretty famous though. Everyone knows what happened on that night, 2 years ago, miss (y/n). Even though, officially it was a stray bullet. The marines from that day that were there, swear by all things holy, it wasn’t murder.”

“It wasn’t. It was justice long overdue.” You nod.

His responding respectful nod made you relax, and you lay down on the small ship, efficiently taking up all the free space. Two years already... huh, time sure flew by these days.

Not that you minded. Things were god. Better than ever. And on that day, you found a great friend, a captain, and also your new crush.

The thought made you blush.

And this year on Christmas, maybe you would find a lover in him – whenever you were ready to ask.

The thoughts danced through your mind, and hours later, when you look up as Mihawk came back, you find a calm acceptance in his eyes. And you know he just waits for you to take the next step, so you smile nd lean forward, pressing your lips to the corner of his mouth in a chaste kiss.

“Let’s go home, Mihawk.”

“Gladly.”


	22. Day 22 ~ Shanks

You knew it was a bad idea. It was always a bad idea, but you couldn't help it. You loved following ships and until now, there had never been a big problem. Of course, there were many people who tried to catch you when seeing you, but you were pretty capable of defending yourself.   
You had trained a few years at Fishman Island after all before you started your journey. Sea kings were annoying, yes, but you were fast enough to get away from them. You had only failed once, the scar on your shoulder proved it, but since then you had found a good way of getting rid of them. Following ships of pirates that weren't covered with sea stone for example. You could distract those beasts with swimming under such ships – or rather, you made the pirates attack them. Most of the time, they wouldn't even recognise you. Good for you since you kept following them until they arrived at an island. And sometimes, when somebody fell into the water, you threw him back on board. A dangerous thing to do. When companions of that fellow could see a mermaid close to them, they often felt the urge to catch you. For whatever reason, you knew they had plenty of those. Not that you stopped helping them. You repaid them for luring a sea king to them.

This time, those pirates were partying. You weren't sure what kind of reason they had, but they were celebrating. They were loud – singing, dancing, drinking tons of alcohol. It was dark, but being a lancet-fish mermaid made it easy for you to see them. Your eyes were used to darkness, difficult for you was bright sunshine. It wasn't funny, being in warm water or the sun with your pale, coldness-preferring body. One of the reasons because of which you avoided going on islands. You could if you wanted, being over 30 years old – but you saw no need for that. You got what you wanted from the sea.

So. A big party on a pirate ship. Everything seemed fine at the beginning, but one of those pirates obviously drank too much. You could see him fall over the railing into the sea – and before you could think twice about it, you were already there, grabbing his arm, swimming towards the surface. Seeing that he was missing one arm worried you – pirates with scars and injuries like such had went through many troubles – you weren't sure how his crew mates would react when they saw you.  
You increased your speed, breaking through the surface. You threw the male on the ship, grabbing the railing afterwards. You braced yourself, tilting your head as you looked at those pirates. Most of them were staring at you with confusion, not quite sure what to feel about you. It made you smirk amused – you were used to fast attacks, screams and different reactions, but _nothing_ was quite new.

“Uwah! I thought I was about to die!”, a male voice exclaimed, before he started to laugh. You turned your head around to look at the red-haired pirate, raising one eyebrow. It was funny that he fell into the sea? He was no devil-fruit user – otherwise, it would have been harder to pull him along. It wouldn't have been a problem, but it would have been more difficult.  
“As if, captain, but it seems like somebody was faster than Ben.”, another man explained amused, rubbing his long nose while eyeing you with curiosity.   
“Huh? Who?” Their captain got up, rubbing his head, just to blink as his eyes met you. He staggered for a short moment, coming closer to you.  
“Hey, thank you for saving me! Who are you?”, he wanted to know, a smile visible on his face. You blinked in confusion, quite sceptical about this behaviour.  
“Uh, I'm (y/n), but there's no need in thanking me. I owed you this one.”, you calmly explained, placing your head on your arms. If it got dangerous, you could still fall into the ocean easily. Nothing to worry about, not yet at least.

“Owe? I don't remember anything you would owe us. We haven't met until now, have we?”, he hummed, placing his arm at his hip. You blinked, smirking afterwards.  
“No, we haven't, but it was my fault that you were attacked by a sea king a few days ago.”, you explained, an innocent expression on your face.  
“Which sea king? Ah – wait. That one... that wasn't even a big deal. You don't have to repay as for something like that! Hey – why don't you join our party?”, he offered, now grinning, grabbing a filled mug, “We were in the middle of it! I bet nobody got a problem with you joining us, right?!”  
The whole crew agreed loudly, making you narrow your eyebrows. You and joining a party? Plus...  
“I don't know you. I prefer staying like this or going back into the sea.”, you muttered bluntly, tilting your head.  
He stared at you with disbelief, almost pouting, “You don't know us? The Red-hair pirates?! I'm Shanks!”, he exclaimed, stepping in front of you, “How comes you don't know us?”  
“...I rarely leave the sea and I don't read newspapers. I've been taught to always be cautious and sceptical to not get involved in too much trouble, so of course I don't know you.”, you explained calmly.  
He pouted while another man stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder, smirking at you, “You should be more careful, (y/n). You should at least know the most powerful and dangerous pirates on this sea. Our captain is a Yonkou – one of four who rule this sea.”, he explained, making you raise your eyebrows.  
“Alright... I guess I heard this word before. One of the three powers.”, you muttered, shrugging your shoulders afterwards, “Guess you're right. I shouldn't mess with such people. Sorry for the interruption!” With that, you let go, ignoring the: “Wait, (y/n)!”, before you fell into the sea.

“Damn, Ben, you chased her away!”, Shanks complained pouting, staring at the surface of the sea, “She could have celebrated with us!”, he added, hitting the upper arm of his vice captain.  
The black-haired sighed, shaking his head lightly, “I didn't expect her to go. We didn't do anything, did we?”  
“No, but you shouldn't talk to girls like that! You could have done so much better!” Shanks kept on complaining, making the whole crew chuckle in amusement. It didn't take long though, until they started partying again.

~*~

Unintentionally, you were still following those pirates. At first, you hadn't realised it, but you took the same direction like them. Maybe – just maybe because you were curious. It often happened that you were treated like trash, like a dumb fish only because your body was part fish. But they? They had been quite friendly, not the least disgusted – and they didn't even try to catch you. Maybe, they would have tried it after inviting you, but somehow, you doubted it.  
You hummed lowly, closing your eyes for a second. The water was getting colder, a sign that you were getting closer to a winter island. You kept on swimming, keeping quiet a distance between you and the ship. It was likely that they would spot you if you surfaced – something you were definitely going to do sooner or later. So, you stayed beneath the surface behind the ship.

Sometimes you hated yourself. Or rather, some of your own decisions. The moment the Red-hair pirates arrived at the island, you had stopped, deciding to get closer to the island from another side of it. You didn't really plan on entering it at first, not being used to the legs you could have. But somehow, you wanted to touch the snow, feel it at your feet – so you had acted quite stupid once again, entering the island alone.  
You couldn't know that somebody had seen you changing. Honestly, you didn't want to meet humans – you were wearing nothing, parts of your body were covered with scales, nothing more. So, you went on, slowly getting used to your feet – you enjoyed the snow. No normal human being would walk over such an island like that. Well, devil-fruit users maybe, but they weren't the average people. Others would die because of the cold.

Your problem wasn't the cold though, but the people attacking you. Suddenly, you had been surrounded by ten men or more, all wearing different weapons. One grinned, stepping closer to you.  
“Hey, mermaid, don't you know how dangerous such islands can be?” He sounded provocative, making you grimace. Well, shit. This hadn't been planned, not the least. Those pirates had been right – you should watch out even more. And maybe, just maybe avoid islands completely.  
You took a deep breath, preparing for a battle, lowering your head lightly, “Oh, I know, alright.”, you coldly stated, hissing and showing your sharp teeth afterwards, “And I don't plan on getting caught. So you better watch out as well.”  
With that, you rushed forward, letting rather sharp scales cover your arms and hands. It wasn't as difficult as you had expected, knocking three of them out – the problem was, the ground was uneven and icy, so you struggled here and there, getting hit as well. You stopped, blood dropping from your arms – you weren't sure whether it was your own or their blood, probably both, feeling the pain of cuts at your back and arms.

Again, you wanted to attack, but had to dodge, stepping on an frozen puddle, losing your balance – you were falling and you could see your defeat, now that they had such a great chance of attacking you.  
“Hah! Deserves you right, stupid fish! Men, get her!”, their leader instructed. The moment one grabbed your arm and pulled you up, you used the speed to run your claw into his chest, only to get hit by a knife at your back. You stammered, hissing again and turning around. Only that this time, you looked into the end of a loaded rifle. You gulped, freezing in spot. So, you had two possibilities? Like die or get caught and used for stupidity? Well, better dead than a slave, right?

You were just about to open your mouth when somebody interrupted the whole situation.  
“Hey, hey, calm down. Don't harm that poor mermaid anymore!” You knew this voice – those men obviously not. They didn't even turn around, focusing on you – a bad mistake. The next moment, you felt an strong wave, like an aura, making you shiver. One after another fell down unconscious, all except for their leader. His eyes were widened as he turned around, scared because of the strong presence. As soon as he realised who his enemy was, he ran away.

“Oh dear, you look awful, (y/n).”, Shanks hummed, walking over to you. He eyes you – with worry and interest, offering you a hand, “Come on, I'll bring you to our ship, get your injuries treated.”  
You blinked, eyeing him calmly, before you grabbed his hand hesitantly, “Guess that would be more reasonable. Now I really owe you one.”, you hummed, letting him pull you up.  
He raised one eyebrow, shaking his head with a grin, “No, you don't. Take it as a Christmas present! You just have to celebrate with us now!”, he exclaimed, pausing for a moment, grinning mischievously, “After we got you some clothes, come on.”

~*~

Those pirates – seemed like they loved partying. Not that it bothered you. You simply didn't join them this evening because of the pain killers. Their doctor had treated your wounds, their men bought you some clothes – awful things, those clothes, so uncomfortable – so you could spend time with them. You hummed, watching them drink, Shanks in the middle of them, well, until he decided to come to you.  
“Say, (y/n), what'cha gonna do now?” Shanks voice made you look up. You tilted your head, shrugging your shoulders, “You should come with us! Rest until your injuries are healed and fight and party with us! Especially party!”, he continued with a wide grin.  
You blinked, chuckling lowly, “Sounds pretty nice. Guess I'll accept that.” you hummed, smiling amused.  
“Yay! A new crew member is a nice Christmas gift! Now, let's party!”


	23. Christmas Day 23 ~ Penguin and Shachi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, I'm totally late! A whole year! and, technically, a day, since it's already the 24th here :x  
> I was really disappointed with myself that I didn't finish this little series, so here it is, at the very least: the last piece from me in this!
> 
> i hope it makes up for... well.. some of the disappointment..

Humming, you walk down the corridor to the sick bay of the ship. It was almost Christmas, and while Law wasn’t all that much in the spirit – rather, he quite DISliked it -, you rather liked the idea of it. Being with family, or better yet, the family of your choice, giving out presents to those you like and just being happy in general. You were aware that Law, most likely, wouldn’t celebrate it. It wasn’t that he was a joy kill. It was just that he had a hard past, and big issues with relaxing. But he was a god man, he wouldn’t stop you from giving presents our baking a Christmas cake or stuff. As long as you would still fulfil your duties, of course. But decorations were... not looked upon with a smile. There would still be some, if they could somehow change Laws mind – after all, one girl in the crew had her birthday on Christmas Eve. It would be her first birthday with you and the rest, so you hoped she would like it. And, that maybe, Law would finally come around. Jesus, the girl might be a catastrophe, but she was awesome! Either way, probably no real Christmas festivities.. 

It wasn’t something you minded very much. This crew was very special, in the sense that they were emotional and laid back, but always 100% giving their all in work, duty or fights. And they were loyal. You entered the room, and smiled cheerfully as you were greeted by one of the other females in the crew – Zoya, the walking disaster. “Hey! Where does that cheerful mood come from, eh?” she grinned, and you chuckled.

“Just, you know: I finished the last of my presents. It’s in a few days, and I was worried I wouldn’t get everything done in time.” You turned to her as you pulled on the rubber gloves and grabbed her bandaged hands. Two days ago, the tanned beauty in front of you had kind of almost bombed away her fingers while experimenting with black powder (The week before that, she had dropped a lit bomb on her toes, and a month before that, she had somehow fallen into a bucked with swords in the storage room. And before THAT, The twins on the crew, Kain and Baku had stabbed a fork trough her hand, after she had accidentally dropped the bag with itching powder, making it literally explode and diffuse everywhere. So yeah, Zoya was a regular patient in the sick bay). Checking over her burned skin, you hummed in satisfaction. “You’re lucky you’re not a regular human, you know. I’ve never seen someone heal that fast and that completely.”

“Yeah, just imagine I’d be ‘normal’.” She grinned.

“No more accidental blow ups, no more food shortages, no more bad puns. Yep, I can imagine pretty well~”

She gaped open mouthed at you, before laughter pearled from her lips and she almost doubled over. “ Jesus Christ, (y/n), where does that sass come from?” she asked amused, and you gave her your best winning grin.

“Well, working with Cap tends to make you pick up some bad habits. Or, more like A LOT of bad habits!” you wrapped her fingers up again after you finished the routine of cleaning and disinfecting once again, moving your muscles without much attention. Pulling your rubber gloves of and throwing them away, you held her gaze, and your grin dimmed into a calmer smile. “ Soooo..... While I might have all presents, I ended up with one problem. Mind giving me advice? Just your thoughts on it?”

“Anytime, sweety. Shoot.” Nodding, she waited until you had gathered your courage and finally voiced your thoughts.

“For a while now, I may or may not have been crushing on someone in the crew. And it may or may not, actually happen to... be... two people. They’re friends. Good friends. Good-friends-who-kind-of-share-almost-everything-kind-of-friends. And I don’t know... I mean, is that even... Is it strange? Am I strange?” you had started nibbling on your lower lip in slight discomfort, and evaded her gaze, instead staring at the floor. You startled a little as Zoyas hands cupped your cheeks and lifted your chin, making your eyes flicker up to her. 

She was smiling, gently. Usually, she would be hyper, uncontrollable and just too much in general. You were probably the only one on this ship, aside from Law, who knew that behind all that cheer and good mood and loud mouth, was a gentle, loving woman who looked out for her friends in her own way. “Oh sweetheart, my lovely (y/n). That is totally ok. People, you see, are not all the same. Not everyone is monogamous. It is absolutely alright to love two people at the same time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you hear me? Some people just have so much love to give, it’s impossible to just drown one single person in it.” You nodded and she continued, making sure you were listening to her with an intense gaze from her warm, hazel eyes. “You just have to be aware, that this can make things very difficult. For you, and the others. But this CAN work, trust me. You just need to be honest. So this is what you need to do, ok? You tell them. Both of them, and better at the same time. So they don’t have the trouble to tell each other. That’s your job, sweety. You tell them, and they only have to tell you: do they reciprocate, and the rest, they have to decide between themselves. I’m sure that if they have an ounce of brain in them, they better share you.” She smiled. Her hands gently stroked your burning, heated red cheeks, and you nodded again.

“Ok... ok, I can do that. Never let someone say I’m a coward, I absolutely stand by my feelings and thoughts.” A wry smile rushed over your lips, before you place your hands over hers. 

“Oh I know deary~ You DO have a reputation for being disgustingly honest with others and yourself. So, you wanna tell me who the lucky bastards are?” 

“Hmm~ let’s see... what would you say if I’d tell you, that one is a Penguin and one is an Orca*?” 

She burst out laughing, and retracted her hands to curl them around her stomach. You waggled your eyebrows suggestively at her. “So maybe I can open my personal Zoo very soon~”

It took her a while, but after she had calmed down a little, she pressed out in between gasping for air: “Oh Jesus, (y/n)! You couldn’t have picked a better combination! Please, PLEASE make this work!”

“Oh I hope to. And, in all honesty, I plan to.” You grinned, and winked at her. “ So, let’s see... any suggestions to get the two of them together at the same time without the chance of someone else interrupting?”

“Oh, you’re asking the right one here. Listen:” she started, trailing off into a lengthy explanation on how-to: confesses to two guys simultaneously. 

~.~.~.~

Taking a deep breath, you looked at the newly sorted bookshelf. Damn, that quirky shot really did a number on the common room. The neats had been ripped right out of the floor, the shelves had tilted, almost burying your as-always-unlucky poor friend, just a few days before her birthday. As a result, she had a few new, colourful bruises, and you, having apparently nothing better to do, in lieu of Laws words, had to put back in all the tumbled out books. Which – sucks. 

Ok, so maybe you hadn’t done anything useful at the moment – ogling you maybe-(definitely!)-future-boyfriends and imagining them together ( and then with you right in the middle – hot damn!) wasn’t the most productive thing you could have been doing, but this was a punishment all of its own. It was stupidly complex, since Law liked his books to be sorted, and every damn one had its designated place. You pushed back in his encyclopaedia of ‘The Human Body; A Detailed Study Of Muscles And Bones’, and groaned. “I swear, I must have offended cap, otherwise I would at least get to take stock of the medicines!” 

“Well, you did actually offend him.” A voice piped up, making you jump and turn around. Shachi grinned shyly at you shrugging as a kind of greeting. “Hey (y/n). Need a hand?” he offered.

Your lips split into a smile, and your cheeks heated up a little. “Hey~ My favourite red-head! Yeah, that would be nice, thanks. How come you’re up here?” you moved a little to the side, making space for him to help filling the shelf back up. Pushing in the next one from the pile you had gathered, you turned to watch him. The tips of his ears went pink, as his tongue poked out, wetting his lips in a gesture of nervousness. 

Jesus Christ, he had no idea what that little thing did to you – just that little display. Tongoe out, making his lips shiny and soft, and the way he was kind-of-shy-but-still-desperate-to-spend-time-with-you so he pulled himself together, but still it showed, with his pink ears and cheeks and... wow. It made your stomach turn into little knots, knowing you had so much power over him. Staring at him, you blinked as he finally stared back.  
“Huh?”

“I said, Mug made fish soup, your favourite. I wanted to come get you, but... I know Law will get mad if you don’t finish this before dinner so I figured I’d help out. Y’know, because fish soup is.. your... favourite. I... I actually already said that...Rrrright, let me.. just get back. To this. Task. Whatever.” He trailed off, mumbling, his blush getting noticeably darker with every botched word and skewered sentence.

You smiled brightly, biting your lower lip in an effort not to laugh at his behaviour, and finally succeeding. “Thanks, Shachi~” you hummed softly. Turning back to the shelf, the two of you worked in companionable silence, only slightly disturbed whenever you would ‘accidentally’ brush your knuckles against his whenever possible, and him startling slightly, but ultimately grinning like a loon after each time. 

~.~.~.~

Fate seemed generous a few nights later, when Maya – one of the other girls on board – had a really rough night, and changed shifts with you. That gave you free time, and you decided to spend it in the common room. In a crew as broken as this someone was always awake at night – most times it was the captain or Zoya, but tonight it was Penguin sitting on that old ratty couch, staring blankly into nothingness. Guessing he had a nightmare once again, you backed out before he noticed you and only came back a little later, with a cup of hot chocolate in each hand.

The couch made a slight dip under your weight as you settled down next to him, and he startled, turning his head towards you. Smiling slightly, you passed him one of the cups but stayed silent. Most members on the crew had nightmares, some more some less. Law had them almost every night. Zoya had them quite frequently, too. Shachi and Penguin had them at least once a week, and you a few times a month. You were, after all, one of the more mentally healthy people on this ship.

You took a sip, and settled back against the back of the couch, closing your eyes with an almost silent sigh.

“I dreamt. That something happened. That I- that I was being forced to do- to do someone’s else’s bidding. That I- I was forced to strangle Shachi.” Penguin confessed after a while, his shoulders pulled up, making him seem smaller and vulnerable. “I saw you standing at the side, chained, and yelling at me... and- and begging me to- to stop. But I couldn’t.” He swallowed audibly, and you shifted closer, until your whole side was pressed against his, making him feel your warmth. “I woke up thrashing around. Shachi was trying to calm me down and I- I kinda just knocked him out and ran here.” 

You let him finish his short reiteration of what had transpired, and just waited Waiting long enough usually prompted other people into talking about more than they would with questions, and.. well, talking had a cathartic effect. As expected, a few minutes later, he shifted, and placed the cup on the low table in front of the couch, and leaned his head against your shoulder, picking back up his words. “I could steel feel the warmth of his skin on my hands when I woke up. That’s why I snapped. I know it was a dream, but... it felt realistic to me. Too realistic. I freaked out. I have no idea how to explain this to Shachi tomorrow....” his whispers drawled off into nothingness, his breath evening out. You smiled, and emptied your cup.

“So.. are you gonna stay there, or are you going to pick up your luggage, Shachi~?” you hummed, and chuckled as said redhead stepped up from the dark of the corridor he had waited and listened from in. He was frowning, but gave you a small, faint little smile. 

“Thanks, (y/n). Somehow, you always get both of us to talk and calm down. I don’t even know what we would do without you anymore...” he sighed, kneeling down next to the couch, looking up at the two of you. “.. I wish I could...” he trailed off, not finishing his sentence, and you raised one questioning eyebrow. He shook his head and stood up again, picking his roommate and best friend up princess-style. Penguin, thank god, slept through the whole walk back to the quarters, with you making the vanguard and opening all doors on the way. 

As the red haired placed Penguin down on his bed, you gave an impish grin, and carefully shoved him down next to Penguin. “Wha- hey! (y/n) what are you doing!?” he hissed, after just barely avoiding tumbling on his sleeping friend. 

“Tucking some idiots into bed~” you hummed amused, grabbing the blanked and trowing it over them. “Good night, Shachi~” you smiled, and made to move away, only to still immediately.

“What’s wrong? (y/n)?”

“Uhm...” muttering, you lifted the blanked again and pointed at your jumpsuit, where Penguin had somehow managed to grab it and was now refusing to let go. Shachi grimaced.

“Hold on, I- Somehow, we’ll get him to let go, promise! You must be tired, so just peel-“

“It’s fine, Shachi” you hummed, and simply climbed into bed with both of them, lying more or less mostly on the sleeping male who was obviously unbothered by your weight. Shachi, however, had gone stiff.

“B-but...! (y/n)!”

“Don’t ‘but’ me. I’m tired now, Penguin won’t let go, you’re tired, here is a perfectly fine bed, and actually, I quite like this. Let’s just sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. Ok? Let’s sleep. Good night.”

“But... hhhaaaaaahh... ok... fine. Whatever. Just.. know that it’s your fault anyway! ‘night!”

~.~.~.~

“....s she in our bed!?” a lows whispering, almost panickes hissing hit your ears, and you slowly drifted out f sleep. It was warm and comfortable, and it smelled like heaven. You had no intention of moving or opening your eyes.. or speaking.

“YOU wouldn’t let go last night! Do you think this is fun for me!? It’s crowded and hot and... and she’s... soft and... jesus Christ I didn’t get an ounce of sleep, trying to not do..things. You know.. because..”

“Because? Because what? Aside from the fact that you don’t touch sleeping people without prior permission!”

“ BECAUSE she’s the one you have a crush on! Geez, I wouldn’t make a move on a girl you like!”

“Yeah but we aren’t in a relation-... wait, I thought YOU had a crush on her..? That’s why I never made a move...”

“What..?” Shachis voice was a high pitched, chocked of question, and he shifted, obviously a little uncomfortable, but getting nowhere since you where sprawled out over both of them. “I-I mean yeah I-I have but- are you telling me we...”

“Like the same girl?... Seems like it.” Penguin sighed, groaning miserably, his sound joined soon by Shachis. “So.... what are we gonna do about it?”

“You ask her out.”

“No way. You like her just as much. You ask her out.”

“Nope. I said it first. So, you ask first. If you’re turned down, I will ask her out. If she turns us both down, well.. I still have that bottle o bourbon stored away safely.”

“I.. I’m not quite comfortable with this arrangement...” Penguin confessed lowly. He shifted slightly beneath you, and you grumbled in displeasure, so he went stiff once more. After a few minutes of silence where both men waited anxiously whether you would wake up or not, they relaxed again.

“What did you mean? Not being quite comfortable with the arrangement?” Shashi questioned, voice barely a whisper, trying not to wake you. It was futile, since you already were awake, but you wouldn’t miss out on this for anything.

“I-.. I.... ...nnnnnngggg, fuck! Ok, so I might be a little weird and crush on someone else just as much!” 

“Huh? Who?”

Penguin turned his head, and you could just imagine the exasperated stare he gave his friend. “Duh... how thick-headed can you actually be?”

“What? What do you- ............................... WHAT!??” the squeak of indignation was cut of by Penguin, slapping his hand over Shachis mouth.

“Quiet!” he hissed, before he sighed. 

“Since when?! Why!? I mean- I- What do I feel?”

“Well, I can’t tell you what you feel, idiot! It’s been some time, though. That’s why I’m kind of.. at a loss. I want her, yeah.. but I also want you. Don’t feel pressured though, I am prepared to be shot down by you.”

“What!? Why?”

“Well. We#re both males, for one. Not really commonly accepted. And we’re close friends, almost like brothers, which.. yeah, I know, kinda creepy.”

“Huh... makes sense, in a weird kind of way. But wait – what are we gonna do about (y/n) then?”

“Ask me out together?” you finally suggested, making both men literally jump and squeak.

“(Y/N)!!” they shouted in unison, and you chuckled, before you yawned widely. 

“Come on guys~ As long as Shachi is fine with Penguin in the equation, I’m definitely game.”

“I’m game, too!” Penguin practically shouted, and both of you grinned at each other like loons, before turning to look at a blushing Shachi. 

“............uuuuuugh, ok! Ok. I- I guess I can at least give this a try! I mean- how weird can this get anyways!” he sighed, sitting up and carding a hand through his red hair, turning to watch you and Penguin.

You cheered, as did Penguin, and suddenly you brightened even more. “You know what? I can FINALLY do what I’ve been wanting to do for some time!” you laughed, pushing yourself up on elbows and underarm.

“What is that?” Penguin asked, but fell silent as you kissed him passionately, licking and nibbling at his lips until he got the hint and parted his lips, to get more tongue involved. You pulled back after a few moments with a last gentle nip at his lower lip, and raised yourself up a little to watch Penguin. He was bright red and out of breath, lips a little wet, pupils slightly blown. Both of you turned to look at your other partner, as a slightly chocked noise came from him.

“O-ok. That- I admit, that was unexpectedly hot...” he confessed, bright pink to the tips of his ears, and you smiled evilly. 

“Is that so? Well then, let’s give Penguin the same sight, hm~?” with that, you sat up completely, bringing your arms up to lay them around his neck, and proceeding to ravish his mouth in quite the same manner as before. Shachi gave a little moan as you tasted him, chasing your lips with his as you pulled away. You happily went in for another kiss, and another one, until there were hands on your waist and another warm body pressed up behind you.

“This is so much better than what I imagined..~” Penguin hummed, kissing your shoulder. The kiss with Shachi broke off, but not before he bit your lip gently, making you shudder.

“I agree..” you nodded breathlessly, leaning back against the man behind you. “Very much so!” you added, grinning brightly. Shachi chuckled, his gave shifting from you towards Penguin, and he leaned forward, leaving a shy peck on his friends lips. 

“Well... for now, Let’s just.. you know, leave (y/n) in the middle. I’ll-.. I’ll be honest, I’ll probably come around, but it might take some time, so be slow and... take your time with me, ok?” Shachi said, and you felt Penguins heartbeat speed up, a shudder shaking his whole body, before he nodded. 

“Sure, I- I can do that! Slow, at your pace, I can do that. I mean, we’ll have to figure out how this.. thing with the three of us works anyways.”

“We have time.” You hummed, reaching a hand back up to stroke Penguins cheek, placing the other hand on Shachis heart. “By the way – Merry Christmas, you idiots.”

“What? It’s Christmas already?”

“Huh.”

A few seconds ticked by silently, before the three of you chuckled, and lay back down in the bed, snuggling against each other in a pile of limps and pillows, and one shared blanked. 

“Merry Christma.” They hummed in perfect unison.


	24. Day 24 ~ Trafalgar Law

What had he done with letting you join them...? His crew was a chaotic one, it had always been, but he hadn't expected it could get even worse. Well, surprise, surprise – you had surpassed them. He was thinking about this decision quite often – you had been part of his team for a few months now and you were causing trouble quite often. On the other hand, you were a great help and friend for most of the men. Sometimes, you were just catastrophic, yes, but he would never let you go. But even with that decision, there was one thing he couldn't accept...

“What, (y/n)-ya, do you think are you doing?”, the raven-haired captain wanted to know calmly, one eyebrow raised. You were standing on top of a ladder, trying to place some decoration on the walls. At least, you had been cautious enough to wait with such things until the ship was docked. He didn't want to think about what would've happened if you tried that during travelling beneath the sea...  
His words had obviously caught you off guard as you were waving with your arms to keep your balance – without success. You fell down, hitting the cold floor with a low squeak. “Damn, captain! Don't walk around scaring me like that!”, you complained, sitting up and rubbing your aching head and lowly pouting as you turned your head towards him.  
“You should blame yourself for trying such risky things – and you didn't answer my question yet.”, he replied nonchalantly, eyeing the decoration you had placed already with scepticism.  
“What does it look like? I'm preparing the canteen!”, you huffed, narrowing your eyebrows in worry as you were standing up, now rubbing your back – you would definitely keep some bruises from that...  
“Did I allow you that? Didn't I make myself clear? No Christmas decoration in my ship.”   
“But you promised-”, you tried to reply, earning a huff, “I didn't promise anything concerning Christmas – and now put that stuff down. That's an order, (y/n).” With those words, he turned around, leaving the room.  
You watched him leave, lowering your head. You would follow his order – but you felt hurt. It was true, he hadn't promised you anything for Christmas – but that you could decorate the ship for your birthday...   
It wasn't your fault that your birthday was at Christmas Eve, was it? Maybe you should have mentioned that earlier to not get such a reaction from him...  
You closed your eyes, sighing lowly. You could go to him and ask him once again – but you highly doubted he would listen to you. You weren't good with words and it seemed like he hated that day. Maybe you should simply give celebrating your birthday on this ship up and find something different to do. According to Bepo, you would most likely stay on this island for a week which means you would celebrate Christmas and your birthday here.   
You didn't even know what kind of island you arrived at – maybe you would find some alternative there...? Well, there was only one way to find it out.

~*~

“(y/n)? What's with that sad look on your face?”  
Shachi's voice made you turn your head around, tilting it afterwards and smiling weakly. Wow, what a timing. Just when you wanted to visit the island.   
“It's nothing, Shachi.”, you replied, trying to sound calm and relaxed, only earning a sceptical look.  
“You're a bad liar, you know that? Did the captain tease you again?” A quiet chuckle left your lips as you rubbed the back of your head, grimacing lightly afterwards.  
“Not the usual teasing sadly. Remember our last talk about my birthday?”, you hummed, “I was just decorating the canteen and guess who stopped me.”, you continued, now lightly pouting.  
The mechanic raised his eyebrows just to sigh. “I remember it, yeah... Had to be expected somehow. He never liked Christmas or Christmas parties... didn't you tell him about this coincidence of your birthday and Christmas Eve?”   
You slowly shook your head, “Didn't manage to do so since he left as I wanted to explain it...”, you muttered defeated.  
“Geez, you've got some bad luck... isn't it always like that when you talk to him about certain subjects?”, he mused, walking over to you and patting your head with a smirk, “You should try it once more. He wouldn't break his promise, would he?”  
You sighed, shaking your head. “I don't think I'll try it again. If he hates this evening as much as it seems, I won't be the one to make him confront this subject again. I'll rather look for an alternative on this island. I've got some time left, don't I?”  
He narrowed his eyes, shrugging his shoulders. “That's true. It's your decision, right... but I still need to talk to him about something. Maybe I'll drop some hints~”, he hummed, turning around. You wanted to say something – that he didn't need to do so, but he was too fast. You blinked a few times, sighing lowly. Fine. As you stepped onto deck, it was already getting dark. Leaving the ship sounded bad...   
Well, but you could feel a cold wind, a small hint of what awaited you the next day.

~*~

A winter island – what a coincidence. That really suited the whole Christmas party discussion... just another reason to not bring that subject up once more. You were wandering through the streets, not quite sure what you were looking for. A tavern? Restaurant? Any place you could celebrate your birthday at...  
For a second you stopped, narrowing your eyebrows. Would finding such a place be of any use? Most of your crew mates didn't know of your birthday date since you haven't told them. Only Penguin and Shachi had asked you back when you had joined them because most of the time, they were the ones to organise such celebrations. And okay, some of the girls knew it since the subject had dropped once or twice... Until now, there had been so many birthday parties for different members of your crew with food, booze and games. It had been so much fun! All organised by those two. They did a pretty good job with that...   
...and this thoughts lead you to what result? Yeah, letting the whole thing be. You wouldn't talk to Law about it and you wouldn't search a location. It was only Christmas – your birthday wasn't such a big deal, right?

Right. You turned around to head back to the ship, just to bump into someone. You tried to keep your balance, but as usual you landed on the floor, looking up confused. Your eyes widened, seeing an elderly lady sitting in front of you, rubbing her back. “I'm so, so, so sorry!”, you immediately exclaimed, getting up and gathering the things she had dropped, almost falling over some of them, before you turned to her, offering her a hand.  
“No worries, sweet-heart.”, she hummed as you helped her up, frowning as she flinched in pain, rubbing her back again.  
“But I do worry. Let me help you.”, you murmured, shouldering her bag and grabbing her arm to support her, “Let me accompany you home, okay?”  
She blinked, eyeing you thoughtfully, until she chuckled lowly, nodding in agreement afterwards, “Fine, fine, young one. I appreciate it.”

~*~

“Hey, captain.” The raven-haired looked up, raising one eyebrow as Shachi stopped in front of him. “Have you seen (y/n)? I know she went into town yesterday, but I haven't seen her since.”, he wanted to know, tilting his head.  
“No, not after our meeting in the canteen.”, he replied calmly, narrowing his eyebrows. Not coming back didn't sound like you. You've always been back before midnight.  
“That's weird. Guess I'll grab Penguin and go search her.”, Shachi hummed, placing his arms at his hips afterwards, “That brings me to my next question. Do you have the slightest idea of (y/n)'s birthday date?”   
Law narrowed his eyebrows, almost confused about the change of subject. “Where does this question come from?”  
“Oh, come on, captain! I'm asking you because of the promise you broke by not letting her decorate the canteen!”, he complained, almost pouting as he waved with his arms.  
“You're not saying it's...”   
“Yes, I am. It's today. She didn't want to explain it to you since you can't stand Christmas, so I thought I'd better explain it to you. She's considerate, don't you think?”, Shachi hummed, nodding a few times with a grin, before he turned around. “You shouldn't enter the canteen by the way. See ya, captain!”

~*~

It was pretty likely that they wouldn't find you soon – not that you thought about it. After running into that elderly lady and causing her back to ache, you had decided to help her out. She was living alone and had to prepare her house for Christmas Eve since her family would come and visit her. It was the perfect distraction for you. By helping her decorate her living room, time passed and since it got too late, she invited you to stay. You had accepted it, knowing you would help her with preparing dinner the next day. Usually, you would have gone back to the ship... but to be honest, it would only make you feel bad and guilty – because of your birthday and the fact that you caused that woman trouble.

“So, what's wrong? Something's bothering you, isn't it?”  
You flinched because of the question, looking at her surprised. “What makes you think so...?”, you muttered confused, tilting your head lightly, earning a soft chuckle.  
“You're like an open book, sweet-heart. It's obvious even if you're smiling although something's on your mind.”, the granny smiled, “I know that kind of attitude from my daughter.”, she continued to speak, cutting the vegetables in front of her.  
It was obvious you were hesitating with answering her question. You had always been like that – it was hard for you to hide something, but that even a stranger could see that... unbelievable.  
“I was promised something for my birthday... but since it's today at Christmas Eve, that promise was broken. I'm a bit, yeah, sad.”, you hesitantly murmured, staring at an invisible spot in front of you.  
“I'm sorry to hear that...”, she murmured, eyeing you thoughtfully, “Guess it's better to hurry then. You need to go to your friends, right?”  
You shrugged your shoulders, continuing to work, “Guess so. But I won't leave before we're done here!” With that words, you smiled at her, earning a quiet chuckle.  
“Well, aren't you something...”, she hummed amused, making you giggle.   
“I heard that before... but mostly because of my kinda clumsy being...”, you mused, throwing a look at her while continuing to cut the meat. Quite a bad decision as you soon squeaked in pain as you cut your finger. You quickly took some steps back to not spill blood on the meat – and causing the next accident as you hit the kitchen unit with your back, turning around quickly and wanting to catch the dropping kettle just to get hot cooking water poured onto your hand. You whined as you stepped back again, this time not moving any further and holding your hand. Well, luck definitely wasn't on your side, huh...?  
“Oh dear, are you okay?” She eyed you worried, grabbing your arm and pulling you to the sink to cool your hand under the water, “I didn't need you to prove me your talent, sweet-heart.”, she continued, shaking her head in disbelief and amusement.  
“I'm sorry... I didn't want to do that...”, you replied grimacing, eyeing your hand with narrowed eyebrows. A cut of around three centimetres at your index finger, fine – but thanks to the water, the whole hand was red. Seems like the sick bay was calling for you again...  
“Don't worry. Just stay like that. I'll get something to bandage your hand.”

~*~

“For me?”, you muttered in surprise as the elderly lady handed you a bag with a soft smile. You were done with preparing the dinner for the family and you had just been about to leave.  
“Yes. Some cookies as a birthday gift. I bet you have a sweet tooth, don't you?” You blushed lightly, nodding embarrassed as you took it, eyeing it curiously and placing it in your pocket.  
“I do. Thank you a lot. Have a nice evening with your family, yes? And wish them a Merry Christmas from me.”, you murmured with a small smile, your head lightly tilted.  
“I will. Now go, I bet your comrades are looking for you.”, she hummed, patting your head.  
“Probably... see you around, granny!”

You left the house with a hum, taking the snow-covered path leading back into the city. It was cold but it didn't really bother you. You only had to get back to the ship. You had gotten something for your birthday, so you were calm and kinda happy, although you could still feel your aching hand from time to time. You were such a lucky one, weren't you? This thought alone made you shake your head, sighing lowly. You were awful, simple as that.

“(y/n)-ya.” You stopped as you could hear your captain's voice, turning your head around to look at him in surprise, “Where have you been?”  
You flinched lightly, grimacing because of his slightly annoyed undertone. “I kept myself busy and helped someone prepare a Christmas meeting with her family. What's wrong with that?”, you wanted to know calmly, walking over to him, crossing your arms behind your back so he wouldn't notice your bandage right away.  
He kept quiet, narrowing his eyebrows lightly, hesitating with his answer. You lowered your head lightly as he eyed you thoughtfully, feeling quite uneasy as you weren't sure what he wanted this time.  
“What is it, captain?”, you repeated as you stopped in front of him, earning a low sigh from the raven-haired.  
“Shachi, Penguin and the rest prepared something for you. We should head back.”, he finally stated, making you blink. Instead of saying something, you sighed quietly, turning around and starting to walk back to the ship. Sure, what did you expect? He never seemed like the type for excuses... maybe because he never had something to be sorry for...?

You could hear his footsteps as he followed you, soon walking next to you, placing a hand on your shoulder and making you stop like that. With a hum, you turned your head towards him, eyebrows narrowed. This man... you couldn't read him. Concerning that, he was your complete opposite what made it kinda interesting.  
But his look – it seemed like he didn't know what to say. Quite a rare phenomenon. You tilted your head lightly, keeping eye-contact with him.  
“I'm sorry, (y/n)-ya. You should've told me that your birthday is today.”, he muttered in defeat, “I didn't mean to break that promise.”  
You stared at him in disbelief, not quite sure how to answer him and keeping quiet. Something obviously uncomfortable for him as he crossed his arms, his eyebrows narrowed in concern.  
“It's... fine.”, you hesitantly replied after a moment, rubbing the back of your head, “I mean, now you know...”, you added, before you continued walking.  
He sighed, following you, “That's true. Guess we'll be celebrating Christmas and your birthday from now on.”  
You flinched lightly, “We don't need to. I know you hate Christmas, so-” You were interrupted as he flicked your forehead with his fingers, now smirking at you.  
“There's no stopping Shachi and Penguin now, you should know that. Plus, until now I had no reason of celebrating Christmas. But this changed, now I have one... and she's standing in front of me.”  
Just as he finished his sentence, you stumbled over something, probably because of the surprise, losing your balance once more. Only that you didn't fall this time, thanks to Law's quick reaction as he caught you.  
“T-thanks...”, you muttered, clearly embarrassed and over-challenged, avoiding his gaze. You were frozen in spot since he didn't let go of you right away.  
“Seems like I got you, (y/n)-ya. I thought you should get gifts, not me.”  
W-wait- did he call you... a gift...? You were trouble, not a present!   
“S-stop it! Please!”, you complained, blushing even more because of his teasing voice. You should be used to it since he loved teasing you – but this time, he was simply topping it.  
You could hear him chuckle as he went on, letting go of you. “Let's go back.”, he added with a hum, continuing to walk next to you, “Want to tell me what you did this time?”  
His question made you flinch again. “Eh... uh... nothing to worry about...”, you muttered, looking everywhere except at him. You could feel his gaze, shifting lightly. “Fine! I cut my finger and got hot water spoiled over my hand. Happy now?”  
He sighed, poking your cheek. “Not really. What am I gonna do with you?” It was obvious that he was talking to himself, but you couldn't help but chuckle.  
“I fear there isn't much you can actually do. Even with a watchdog, things like that will happen.”, you replied, earning an agreeing hum.

It stayed quiet between the two of you, although it was quite comfortable right now. The cold helped you calm down. Your face would stay a bit red, but at least not as dark as before.  
After a few minutes, you arrived at the ship, entering it and heading directly for the canteen. It was enjoyable warm inside and you could smell a mixture of orange and cinnamon. A combination you really liked.

The moment you entered the canteen, the Heart pirates jumped up with a: “Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas, (y/n)!”  
Again, your face turned dark-red and you took a step back just to bump into Law – not that this helped your mental overload. You could feel how he grabbed your hand, leading you inside to the tables which were decorated. There was food, booze, presents... and you could guess that the two chaos pirates would have some surprises prepared.  
“Thanks, guys...”, you finally managed to say, smiling happily. “And Merry Christmas...!”

~*~

It was such an enjoyable evening. You played, exchanged gifts, ate and drunk – and the alcohol was making your mind a bit blurry. You weren't drunk, but definitely tipsy, turning you into a clingy and giggling woman. After a while, you were leaning against the person sitting next to you, not realising that it was your captain.   
Not until he decided to poke your cheek. “Seems like I'm comfortable, (y/n)-ya.” You flinched, looking at him with wide eyes, before you smiled ashamed.   
“You definitely are, sorry.”, you hummed, giggling afterwards, “Want me to leave you alone?”  
You didn't want to, but if that's what he preferred, it would be okay. He didn't answer directly, shaking his head after a moment.  
“I'm fine, but I'm warning you. If you're drinking too much and can't walk later on, I'll take you with me.”  
You tilted your head, eyeing him curiously, just to smile, “Guess that would be fine with me~”, you bluntly stated, making him smirk.  
“Good to know, (y/n)-ya.”

The moment he got up and grabbed your arm, you looked up in surprise, tilting your head questioning.  
“I didn't forget that I wanted to take a look at your hand.”, he mused, making you sigh and stand up. A bit too fast obviously you as you were staggering, almost losing your balance and leaning against him to avoid that.   
He only shook his head, leading you out of this room. You could grab your presents later.

“Good job you did there, (y/n)-ya.”, he hummed, holding your hand and eyeing it cautiously. It was still reddened and cracked – at some parts you could easily tear some of your skin off if you wanted to.  
“I know. And it happened right after telling her that I'm clumsy! Of course then! Once I'm called something special because of a good character trait...”, you muttered, almost pouting and biting your bottom lip.  
You flinched lightly as he started putting some cold ointment onto it, humming lowly.  
“Something special, huh? Suits you well.”, he agreed, eyebrows narrowed in thoughts as he looked up at your face. You seemed quite surprised again, blinking a few times.  
“Even tough you're a catastrophe, I wouldn't want to miss you in my crew.”  
You stuttered something incomprehensible, making him chuckle lightly. It didn't help you the least...  
“D-damn... Captain, please, stop teasing me like this...!”, you finally managed to say. You wanted to bury your face in your hands, but since he didn't let go of your left one, you didn't even try to do so.  
“Oh, why should I? It's ways more fun like this.”, he hummed, lowering his head and leaning closer to you.  
“C-cap-” “It's Law.”, he interrupted you, placing one finger at your lips as he smirked, “And I've got something for you.”  
W-wait. You really wished you could be as confident as him, but right now, you were completely useless. You had nodded as a sign that you had listened to him – but realising what followed afterwards... difficult.  
He put his hand down, leaning forward, before placing his lips on yours, engulfing you in a soft kiss. Your heart was about to explode as you hesitantly crossed your fingers with his, leaning into the kiss. Yes, your face was burning and you felt pretty embarrassed – but you couldn't deny that you loved this feelings.  
The moment you broke the kiss, you lowered your head to place it at his chest. “I must admit...”, you muttered, glancing up at him with a sweet smile, “this was probably the best birthday and Christmas gift.”, you admitted, making him chuckle.  
“You're welcome, (y/n)~”, he hummed, stroking through your hair, “Happy Birthday... and Merry Christmas, (y/n).”


End file.
